


The City of Sin

by FayeValentine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Attempt at Humor, Attempt at angst, Fluff, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8446963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FayeValentine/pseuds/FayeValentine
Summary: Oh Sehun came to Las Vegas on a business trip. If he just so happened to have an impromptu bachelor party by himself, then who was Luhan to protest?In fact, everything is fine in the City of Sin, until Sehun gets black out drunk and wakes up with a husband who isn't his pretty fiancé.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This was cross posted on AFF, the fic is now up to date so please read on~

 

  
“ _Come on Sehun! You’re in Los Vegas, Nevada for crying out loud! Let loose and get piss drunk, you’re in America, no one will give a shit!_ ” A man yelled from the other end of the line. Sehun felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation.

  
“Yifan, need I remind you that you are asking me to recklessly intoxicate myself and possibly cheat on my fiancé, your _cousin_!” Sehun shouted the last part, pacing within his presidential suite in the El Dorado hotel and casino. It was the top floor of a five story tall building, complete with a view that overlooked the entire neon lit city of Las Vegas.

  
“ _Look, Sehun, you and I both know that this is the last chance you ever have at living before my Ice Princess cousin officially owns your ass. So think of it as…a bachelor vacation! You know, since you weren’t allowed to throw a bachelor party.”_ Yifan replied quickly, his joking tone challenging Sehun’s temper. Yifan was an indecisive bastard, contradictory as well because Sehun remembered him threatening to cut off his dick if he ever hurt Luhan.

  
Sehun sighed again. Luhan was everything he dreamed of, lithe, beautiful, and demure, with a blue blooded pedigree that could rival Sehun’s own. He truly loved Luhan, he did. It’s just that sometimes, Luhan was demanding and at best he was high maintenance. “…Fine. But Luhan will never find out about this, or I’ll tell Junmyeon hyung that you like to-”

  
‘ _Alright! Alright! Damn, Luhan is rubbing off on you…”_ Yifan grumbled as he hung up on Sehun.

  
Sehun smiled to himself in amusement as he dropped his phone on his bed and took the time to lie down. Despite being located in a city that thrived on the night life, Sehun’s room was quiet. ‘ _Heh, Yifan thinks that he even has a chance.’_ He thought just to spite the tall male.

  
However, Sehun’s amusement faded away when his phone notification chimed and he quickly grabbed his phone, swiping the screen immediately. The messaging notification flashed and Sehun wasted no time tapping it and reading the new message.

  
**From: Luhan-Hyung**

**Sehun, are you settled in now? Text me back the details of your hotel and room number.**

  
_‘No I miss you, or how are you honey?_ ’ Sehun thought a bit wistfully, a small pout forming on his lips because he knew Luhan would glare at him and pinch his side if he ever expressed his real thoughts. Luhan wasn’t a man of sappy words or emotions in general.

  
_‘Ah forget it! I’ll listen to the party dragon and actually live like I’m not already married!’_ Sehun thought, putting on a determined expression as he shut off his phone and sat up. The mirror set directly across the bed seemed to wink at him in the low light of the room and Sehun gave himself a critical once over. His travel clothing consisted of relaxed slacks and a button down shirt, appropriate for someone trying to look ten years their real age. In short, it didn’t suit Las Vegas at all.

  
Standing up, Sehun strode toward the walk in closet of the suite and he hummed in satisfaction when he saw that his pre-ordered suits were already hanging up. Walking in, Sehun quickly plucked the first suit from the back. The cloth moved easily and he admired the way the fine fabric gently sifted through his fingers. ‘ _I am more than glad Baekhyun was able to send these in time.’_

  
Excited at the prospect of gambling in America and maybe drinking, Sehun changed quickly and he ran a hand through his dark hair. The silken strands parted easily between his fingers and thick black locks fell onto his forehead in messy streaks. Adjusting the cuffs of his tailor made suit, Sehun strode back into his suit and threw a self-satisfied smirk at the mirror.

  
‘ _Ah, there is the Lion of Seoul International_!’ Sehun thought, admiring the way the suit clung to his arms and legs, stretching across his broad shoulders with no real discomfort. His hair looked rakish, a clear change from his usual neat parted and slicked back business look. But, there was something missing.

  
Sehun looked himself over again before he looked down, noticing that the drawers set under the mirror weren’t completely closed. Curiously, Sehun pulled it open and the drawer was filled with various accessories. Silk ties, handkerchiefs, cufflinks, and tie pins gleamed in the low light. Along the side of the drawer, expensive watches lined the shelf along with a small velvet box. Reaching for that first, Sehun opened it and a pair of simple diamond earrings sparkled from their perch on a miniature silken pillow.

  
“Las Vegas won’t know what hit it,” Sehun said, a pleased spark igniting in his eyes.

 

-♔-

 

“ …And that’s 21, Sir.” A collective groan reverberated around the table and Sehun smirked as he raked in the chips. An older man threw his cards on the table with a huff and Sehun smirked as he watched him leave, his glass of whiskey barely brushing the upturned corner of his mouth. “Looks like Lady Luck wasn’t on his side tonight.” Sehun said in accented English, feeling the low burn of the alcohol settle within his stomach when he finished downing his entire drink.

  
“It would seem so, Sir.” The dealer sent him an amused smile, though his face still managed to look emotionless. “Would you like to begin another round?”

  
Sehun set down his glass at the table and he looked around the casino. Nothing but middle aged men and busty young women flocked around his table. Sending a wink at a particular blonde, Sehun scooted his chair back from the table and stood up decisively. “No, I believe that I have tempted fate more than I should have for one night.” Sehun said.

  
The dealer nodded but he didn’t look too affected by the departure of a player who had cleaned him out. “Would you like an employee to escort you to the main office so that you may safely cash out?” The dealer asked indifferently, knowing that Sehun had won more money than was available at the registers.

  
Sehun looked up and noticed two men standing near the back wall of the table area. He noticed with surprise that they were Korean, though they were much taller than average and had a good amount of muscle on their bodies.

  
Flicking his gaze back to the dealer, Sehun nervously licked his lips and answered. “That won’t be necessary.” The dealer looked up while he stacked the cards and fed them into the shuffling machine. The surprise was clear to see on his face and Sehun felt a smug sense of satisfaction for getting the poker-faced man to lose his composure. But he soon rephrased his refusal when he saw the two built guards turn in his direction, one even took a threatening step forward. “I believe that the hotel can be trusted to send my winnings to my personal account?” He asked, fighting to keep the nervous tremor out of his voice.

  
“Of course sir.” The dealer replied easily, slipping back into his indifferent mask as the guards relaxed immediately.

  
Feeling the dismissal, Sehun wandered to the play area of the casino, the machines blaring loud music and annoying chimes incessantly. He passed by many people, those who looked desperate as they smashed the highest bet button on the machine and those who looked withered with age and played frivolously, some even betting as low as five dollars at a time.

  
Smokers were also abundant and Sehun frowned in distaste when he passed by an older man who eyed him rudely and blew a thick puff of smoke in his face. Huffing, Sehun adjusted the jacked of his expensive suit and decided that the bar was more suited to his tastes.

  
The El Dorado casino was located on the first floor, a hotel on the top four other floors. Sehun was at first a little awed and intimidated by the elaborate lobby, which had a thirty foot fountain that boasted a sparkling chandelier above it. It would have looked tacky anywhere else, but the chandelier above the fountain had little raw chunks of gold woven into the soft glow tea lights, and it gave the illusion that the little nuggets fell from the sky and dripped into the water of the fountain. It also helped that the front lobby had dimmed lights, furthering the striking light of the gold hanging from the ceiling.

  
_‘El Dorado, the city of Gold_.’ The thought hit Sehun suddenly, but the male shook it off and walked straight past the impressive lobby and headed for the bar.

  
It was well into the night by now and Sehun was more than a little put off that there were so many people at the place he wanted to escape to. But, Sehun decided to ignore his antisocial tendencies and he swiftly snatched a seat at the bar, ordering a round of the most expensive drinks El Dorado had to offer.

  
He was satisfied for a little while, sipping a few drinks and declining offers to dance, but Sehun soon found himself getting bored. He slammed his glass on the bar counter and stood up, more than a little ready to take his drunken self upstairs so he could pass out, but when Sehun turned to face the dance floor, he stopped dead in his tracks.

  
There on the dance was a blonde man with honey colored skin, dancing as if the floor weren’t crowded, as if he were the _embodiment_ of music. He had on a loose shimmery black shirt, the long tails doing nothing to hide the way his tight leather pants clung to his legs like a second skin. With a particular pop of his shoulders, the shirt fell open at the collarbones, exposing a smooth chest and Sehun realized that the almost sheer top was only buttoned in the middle. The blonde reached up with one toned arm, the last button of the loose black top he wore splitting open and revealing the smooth skin of his lower abdomen. Feeling his mouth go dry, Sehun allowed his eyes to follow the movement of the blonde’s hips.

  
The view was ruined by thick hands moving over those tantalizing hips, giving the ample flesh there a possessively rough squeeze. Sehun grit his teeth and downed the rest of his unordered new drink in one quick gulp, not really understanding the urge to smash the other man’s face in just for breathing the same air as the sexy blonde.

  
The music picked up into a frenzied beat and the blonde opened his eyes, meeting Sehun’s shocked gaze with a knowing smirk on his plump lips. The blonde was like the personification of sensuality, with his softly squared jaw, heavy lidded and kohl lined eyes, desirable lips bitten an enticing red and hips moving obscenely as the lyrics of the sound washed over Sehun’s shocked form.

  
_I feel nice, you look nice_

  
Thoughts of work flew from Sehun’s mind, as well as the memory of his fiancé Luhan. The blonde was nothing like his fiancé anyway, in looks and attitude. It was evident in the way the blonde met Sehun’s eyes again and deliberately ground his rounded hips back against the taller man he was dancing with. A man who wasn’t Sehun.

  
_I got it from my daddy, da da daddy_

_Hey, where’d you get that body from? Where’d you get that body from?_

_I got it from my daddy, da da daddy_

  
Sauntering up to the dance floor, Sehun easily followed the rhythm that the blonde was setting. He subtly shoved the other man away and he smirked in welcome victory when the blonde easily molded himself to his form. He felt dizzy with adrenaline and arousal, the elation from dancing and forgetting himself for one night mixing in as well and leaving Sehun feeling steady and unsteady at the same time. “ _Hey, where’d you get that body from?”_ The blonde whispered in Sehun’s ear, his lips touching the shell of it as he sang along to the song softly.

  
_I got it from my da da da da da, daddy_

  
Unable to resist the feel of the blonde moving his hips rhythmically against his, Sehun leaned down and captured plump red lips in a searing kiss that burned itself into Sehun’s chest. Responding to the kiss, the blonde wrapped his fingers within Sehun’s black hair and pulled him down, roughly nipping at his lips and simultaneously soothing it with his slick tongue.

  
And as the last of the song faded away, Sehun’s mind blacked out and the night became a whirlwind of flashing color, music, voices, and intense pleasure.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment!
> 
> Just type away...〆(・∀・＠)


	2. Wake Up Honey!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up with a massive hangover is the least of Sehun's worries now...

~~~~

  
Blinding bright light was all that Sehun registered when he opened his eyes. Letting out a groan of pain, the young man squinted and raised a hand to block his eyes from the evil sunlight pouring into the room. ‘ _Argh, what the hell happened?’_ Sehun asked himself as he rolled over. He expected to be met with the familiar coolness of empty sheets, but his arm smacked into something soft and warm.  
“What-” Sehun breathed out as he gathered the energy to open his eyes again. Messy golden blonde hair met his sight and Sehun blinked in confusion. ‘ _Wait, is that….It’s a head!_ ’

  
Sehun jumped out of bed and fell to the floor with an undignified squawk. A small huff sounded from the bed and Sehun held his breath as the other person shifted around in the bed, finally falling asleep again. Sehun fell calm for a few seconds before he jolted upright again and began inwardly panicking.

  
‘ _What do I do_!?’ Sehun looked down at himself and he flushed in embarrassment when he realized that he was nude. _‘Shit, what **did** I do!?_ ’ Eyes widening in horror, Sehun tentatively touched the tender red marks that littered his chest and neck, flinching a bit and hissing in sensitivity at a particularly tender area on his shoulder.

  
All Sehun remembered was leaving Seoul the day before and settling into his room. Then he had a chat with his stupid soon to be cousin-in-law and he got ready to go out. The disgruntled male frowned and groaned in frustration when he all he recalled beyond that was a blur of gambling and alcohol.

  
A soft sigh came from the bed and Sehun froze again, waiting for the person he probably bedded to wake up and start flinging stuff at him in a panic. When the blonde laying in his bed merely turned over again, Sehun warily made his way to the bathroom. He almost tripped over his suit trousers, and he followed the incriminating trail of clothing from the room door to the bed with his eyes.

  
Feeling a little queasy, Sehun rushed into the bathroom and barricaded himself inside it, not caring if the slamming door woke up the stranger. He heaved into the toilet, but nothing aside from clear liquid gushed out and that made Sehun’s stomach feel worse. But considering the fact that he had nothing to eat the day before, it was no real surprise to Sehun.

  
_‘Please let this all be a dream_!’ Sehun begged, praying Buddha and Jesus in the hopes that at least one of them answered his prayer. But when Sehun closed his eyes and pinched his side, he remained in the same crouched position in front of the now full toilet.

  
Making a noise of disgust, he flushed the toilet and shakily made his way over to the sink, where he mindlessly washed his hands. Once done, he braced his hands on the counter and took a deep breath-

  
“ _Fuck_!” He finally cursed loudly. It echoed satisfyingly in the bathroom. Feeling a cold sweat break out on his face though, he splashed his face with some cold water and allowed his racing mind to catch up.

  
There was no possible way he would cheat on Luhan voluntarily, but if Sehun was correct, then the alcohol from the night before must have severely clouded his judgment. In that case, Sehun was screwed because Luhan was going to find out and he was going to castrate Sehun with a pretty smile on his face, manic laughter falling from his mouth all the while.

  
The image made Sehun shiver in fear. ‘ _Alright, no matter what happens, Luhan must never find out!’_ He promised himself as he grabbed a random hand towel and wiped the water off his pale and drawn features.

  
Yet something shiny caught Sehun’s eye in the mirror. Frowning in confusion, he lifted his hands again and the same light caught his attention. Singling out his left hand, Sehun brought it closer to his face and he gulped when he noticed that it was a simple gold band etched with elegant vines and delicate roses.

  
Now waking up with extra jewelry wasn’t a new concept to Sehun, he did after all have an eye for pretty things, but this ring was on his _ring finger_. It was in the place reserved only for marital partners and Sehun screeched as he tried to pry the gold band off his finger.

  
“This can’t be happening! I can’t be _married_!” He shouted, yanking on his new ring until it pushed against his knuckle. Even when he felt like he was pulling off his finger, the damn thing wouldn’t come off!

  
“Damn, Luhan is gonna _kill_ me!” Sehun whined, settling for leaving the stubborn ring on his finger in favor of pouting gloomily at the mirror. His horrid reflection didn’t help matters either, especially since he hated getting eye bags and hangovers mixed into one. It made him look like a walking corpse, especially with his pale complexion. ‘ _Wait, this is no time to be worried about skin!’_ Sehun admonished, slapping his cheeks to get himself focused _. ‘Yifan was right for once, Luhan is rubbing off on me-’_

  
A soft knock sounded at the door and Sehun felt his entire body freeze in dread. His husband was awake.

  
“H-honey, are you alright?” A sweet, yet velvety smooth voice called, a little muffled through the door.

  
Sehun internally cringed at the term of endearment, but he decided to gather his courage. He needed, no he _had_ to tell his new spouse that he wanted a divorce.

  
‘ _Okay, I can do this!’_ Sehun cheered himself on, mentally patting himself on the back when he managed to opened the door without chickening out.

  
Standing in the doorway with all the glory of the sunrise shining behind him was easily one of the most breath taking people he had ever seen in his life, and all thoughts of a gentle ease into divorce flew from Sehun’s mind.

  
The blonde standing before him was cocooned within the hotel sheets, hugging an oversized fluffy pillow. Sleepy brown eyes stared at him calmly, though Sehun could see a spark of nervousness and a hint of something he couldn’t name.

  
Strands of blonde hair framed the beauty’s face and Sehun watched in amazement as his plump lips puckered and lightly blew the bangs out of his face with a cute huff of annoyance. Honey colored skin flushed a pretty red and Sehun drank in the sight greedily, loving the way the blonde shifted his gaze down shyly and peeked at him occasionally through thick black eyelashes.

  
“U-uhm, Honey, you’re staring…at m-me….” The blonde stuttered as the embarrassed flush spread from his cheeks down to his neck. Sehun bit his lip and watched the flushed skin, feeling a low heat settle within his stomach before it spilled down lower and lower-

  
Letting out a squeak, the blonde buried his face in his pillow and turned away from Sehun abruptly.

  
Confused, Sehun let out a noise of discontent and he unconsciously took a step toward the blonde, but the boy let out another distressed noise as he avoided Sehun’s touch.

  
Hurt, Sehun let his fingers curl into a fist as his arm fell down to his side. “What’s wrong?” He finally asked, realizing that this was probably the first time he was speaking to his husband while sober.

  
The blonde kept his back to him as he mumbled out an answer. “yolu ndh fndmf!”

  
Sehun blinked and he let out a surprised laugh at the adorable response. “You’ll have to pull your face away from the pillow for me to understand you!”

  
The tips of the blonde’s ears turned red and he raised his voice as he lowered the pillow, though he still stayed facing away from Sehun, the bed sheets wrapped protectively around his lithe form. “Y-you’re hh-hard!”

  
Shun gasped and he looked down to check, and dammit, he _was_. If anyone knew that he got hard just looking at someone, they’d never let him live it down. Especially Yifan because he’d laugh at Sehun and then run and tell Luhan about it.

  
“A-ah, _sorry_! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I forgot that I was…uhh, naked.” Sehun replied lamely, not as embarrassed as his new husband. Nonetheless, Sehun still ran into the bathroom and grabbed a robe, as well as the spare set next to it within the linen cabinet. Covering himself quickly and tying the belt unusually tight, Sehun cautiously approached the blonde again.

  
“I’m decent this time, so you can turn around and change if you want…” the blonde turned around again and sehun was relieved to see that he wasn’t looking at him in disgust or cringing away from him again, though he did wonder why this boy’s reaction was so much more…innocent than he expected. What he remembered of the blonde anyway was a more seductive attitude.

  
The blonde gratefully took the robe from his hand, but instead of putting it on, he stared at Sehun expectantly as he nervously licked his lips. Sehun caught the little action and for his sanity’s sake, he really hoped that it wasn’t a habit.

  
“Honey, c-can you please turn around?” He asked timidly and before he knew what he was doing, Sehun found himself already complying to his wishes without a fight. ‘ _How in the fuck am I whipped already!?’_ He thought in dawning horror. ‘ _It even took Luhan years of yelling to get me to listen to him!’_

  
Soft humming reached Sehun’s ears along with the rustle of fabric. His mind immediately flashed back to the blonde’s warm eyes and shy blush and he knew that his new husband was dangerous. Hell, he was so unassumingly adorable and innocent that he could probably out-cute a fuzzy newborn puppy.

  
“H-honey?” A low voice crooned in Sehun’s ear, startling him along with the gentle tap on his shoulder. “You can t-turn around now.”

  
Immediately Sehun whirled around and was pleased to see that the robe fit, but it looked a little small. The hem even rode up on the blonde’s thighs and Sehun gulped because it’d been a while since he’d seen even that much skin. “T-thank you for the robe, e-even if it’s a little short...” The boy muttered, a small frown settling over his pretty lips. He tugged on the hem of the robe and the belt slipped, exposing his collarbones unintentionally.

  
Sehun felt a hot flush work its way onto his face and he quickly walked past the blonde, striding to his messy bed. But upon seeing the scattered clothing on the floor and numerous unidentifiable stains, Sehun made a quick turn and settled at the roll away chair of the hotel room desk instead. The blonde boy awkwardly floundered, but he eventually settled on a corner of the dirtied bud, his nose scrunching a little at the mess. It made him look like a disgruntled pup, but Sehun kept that to himself, deciding that despite how attractive and sweet his Los Vegas husband was, he needed to set a few things straight immediately.

  
“So, uh..” Sehun began, trailing off uncertainly when the blonde looked back up at him with an open an expectant gaze. “L-last night, do you remember anything in particular?”

  
The blonde boy played with the hem of his robe and Sehun was tortured as teasing glimpses of smooth tanned thigh was revealed and covered repeatedly. “I remember being thirsty. I think I got a drink and it tasted really good! So I drank it all, then I felt like I couldn’t sit still, so I got up and danced?” He asked uncertainly, his eyes lost in thought for a moment before he nodded to himself and gave Sehun a please smile. “Yeah, I danced and then you, h-honey, came up and we danced. It was really fun, but you kissed me and then you said that we should go somewhere else. I liked the warm feeling you gave me, so I followed you outside, even though it was cold!”

  
Sehun listened raptly, his entire being focused on the blonde because he needed the information that his mind was drawing blanks on. It also didn’t hurt that the boy was very _very_ nice to look at. “Is there anything else you remember ?” Sehun prompted.

  
The boy nodded shyly and he blushed again, dropping his gaze to his lap where he picked at a loose thread on the robe. “W-we went to a nice chapel and you said t-that you’d keep me forever, a-and we got married…” The blonde trailed off and his voice fell to a whisper as he looked back up at Sehun, apparently still not able to meet his eyes because he was staring off to the side of Sehun’s mouth. “We said our vows and k-kissed, and you told me to call you Honey all the time.”

  
“W-what!?” Sehun was following along with the story surprisingly well considering he had a hangover, but at the last part of the mystery tale, he sputtered and turned a bright shade of red. “W-why would I tell you to call me Hon- _that_!?” He asked, though memories of being brushed aside by Luhan and not being allowed to even call him Luhannie flashed thorough his mind.

  
The boy shrugged and he self-consciously began fidgeting in place. “I-I don’t mind it…You were very sweet and you even had little tears in your eyes when you asked me to do it.” Sehun make a choking noise and the blonde looked up in alarm, but he soon clamed when he saw how embarrassed the older male was. “Heh, don’t worry Honey, you can call me Jonginnie in return!”

  
Sehun really hoped that sweet Jongin was teasing, because the mere thought of this boy as _his_ had him hot under the collar. It also made his heart burn when Jongin recalled little details about him and took the time to memorize them even though they’d only known each other for a few hours. ’ _Shit, I’m going to kill Yifan, skin him, and then sell him off to a museum as the World’s Dumbest Friend._ ’ Sehun blamed the bastard for what he was about to do.

  
“I think that I’ll stick with Jongin, and you should call me Sehun from now on as well,” Sehun said, purposely controlling his voice and killing any emotion in his tone. Jongin looked surprised and a flicker of an emotion passed across his face before he nodded stiffly. Sighing for what felt like the billionth time that morning, Sehun cleared his throat and spoke again. “Jongin, I want an _immediate_ _divorce_.” 

 

 

 


	3. There's More Than Meets the Eye Here

 

 

  
Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise and Sehun panicked again, thinking that he was going to burst into hysterical tears. It was safe to say that he cracked under pressure, especially where emotions were involved. “Uh wait, that was a little harsh! I mean, there’s nothing wrong with you, I just have to leave in two weeks and I already have a fiancé!”

  
Jongin looked a little surprised but at least he didn’t look sad-

  
There were the tears. Sehun froze, he never knew what to do when another person cried in front of him. “Oh, s-sorry! I d-didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Jongin sniffed and more crystalline tears dripped from his big brown eyes.

  
“N-no it’s fine! I should be the one to apologize…” Sehun trailed off, feeling helpless as Jongin sniffed again and furiously scrubbed at his eyes. He took a deep breath and he looked up again, though Sehun felt bad that he could see the reddish tint around his eyes and nose.

  
“Sorry S-sehun, I just….” ‘ _Got too emotionally attached’_ Jongin mentally added. He shouldn’t have reacted so badly, he did just meet his husband a few hours ago. Yet something about the tall male made Jongin feel safe and warm, needed in a sense.

  
Sehun watched the emotions flicker across Jongin’s face and before he could even register what he was doing, he was walking over to Jongin and sitting at his side. He tentatively slung an arm around his shoulders and drew him into his chest, his free hand coming up to awkwardly pat a his unruly blonde locks. “You can cry more if you need to, Jongin.”

  
Surprise couldn’t completely describe what Jongin was feeling at the unexpected action, but he shut his eyes and nudged his head under Sehun’s chin, taking any form of comfort he could take. He was used to showing physical affection, but he noticed that Sehun didn’t seem too comfortable with it.

  
_‘…what am I even doing?’_ Sehun asked himself as he held Jongin a bit tighter and practically encouraged the blonde to snuggle up to his side. It wasn’t something he was used to; comforting wasn’t needed from him because Luhan never cracked. But Sehun couldn’t help thinking it was…nice. He could feel the soothing warmth of Jongin and after a few moments, they were breathing gin sync. ‘ _Hell, we probably even have synchronized heart beats by now_ …’ And that didn’t sound too bad to Sehun, but he hoped Jongin couldn’t hear or feel how fast his heart was beating as he gently stroked his hair.

  
Jongin breathed in Sehun’s scent and then he blushed, hoping that he didn’t notice him _sniffing_ his robe. _‘I should probably move now-’_

  
A knock sounded at the door and Sehun sprang away from Jongin to answer it. He was almost disappointed that the moment was interrupted, but it was a good thing it ended before anything else could happen. That didn’t stop him from being flustered as he opened the door though. “Yes-”

  
“Are you the renter of the Presidential Suite?” A deep voice asked. Sehun had to crane his neck up to see two body guards that he vaguely recognized as the men at the card table area from last night.

  
“I am,” Sehun replied in confusion. As far as he was concerned, he had done nothing warranting a visit from hotel security.

  
A crackle echoed in the hall and a male voice interrupted. “ _Jun, Jae, did you find him?”_ One of the built guards reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a walkie talkie. One guard eyed Sehun while the other spoke into the little handheld device. “Yes Boss, we found him.”

  
Static noise came from the radio before the voice spoke up again. “ _Well what are you waiting for!? Bring his ass in and tell Jongin to meet me in my office!_ ” With another static noise, the walkie talkie fell silent. Jun and Jae both looked at him, taking in his robed appearance and his disheveled hair.

  
“Are you going to run?” One of the two guards asked. Sehun looked at their hulking forms and then he craned his neck to glance down the hallway. It was a good five meters to the exit and he wasn’t the most athletic of people. “No,” Sehun answered, shaking his head decisively.

  
“Good.” The guards replied as they pushed themselves past Sehun into the room, shutting the door firmly and locking Sehun and Jongin in with them. Speaking of, where was the little blonde? They seemed to know him, especially if their boss was asking for him specifically.

  
“Jun, Jae, what are you doing here?” Jongin asked, walking into the hall in his short robe, his hair still falling into his reddish colored eyes.

  
“Young master, what happened to you!?” One of the guards asked, rushing up to Jongin’s side like a lumbering bear. Sehun would be concerned for Jongin’s safety, but one of the guards whirled on his with a fierce glare. “What did you do?” He growled.

  
“Jae, it wasn’t his fault! I just…got something suck in my eyes.” Jae didn’t look too convinced at Sehun’s frantic nod and Jongin’s lame excuse, but he backed away and joined Jun. Sehun guessed they were twins or brothers, because he couldn’t tell them apart for shit.

  
Jun made sure that Jongin was okay and Jae took the liberty of rifling through Sehun’s closet, coming back into the room with an armful of clothing. “Young master, you should get changed, the boss wants to see you immediately.”

  
Jun nodded along with Jae’s words. “Yeah, I think he heard about what happened last night and he wants to meet him.” The burly man pointed at Sehun.

  
Jongin hummed softly in agreement and he began picking through the pile of clothes designed for Sehun. “I don’t think he’s very happy with me right now…” Jongin said as he picked up an oversized shirt, Sehun’s favorite white one. He held out against his chest and seemingly satisfied, he set it aside and began looking for pants.

  
Jae and Jun met each other’s eyes before they smiled wryly and turned back toward Jongin. “Young master, the Boss has never been displeased with you. He just wants to have a chat with _him_.” Sehun thought it was Jae who pointed at him rudely this time.

  
“Hey, my name is _Sehun_ , not him.” The tall man finally said. Jun and Jae looked at him with appraising eyes that clearly showed their contempt for him.

  
“We know.” They replied at the same time.

  
Jongin frowned and he sent the two guards a disapproving look. “Please be nice, he’s had a rough morning.”

  
The twins snorted. “Meeting with the Boss will definitely change his attitude.”

  
Sehun felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation and he opened his mouth to make a scathing retort, but Jongin sighed heavily and stood up. “ _There’s nothing here that will fit my hips,”_ He muttered as he walked in Sehun’s direction, his attention focused on the trail of clothing on the floor.

  
Immediately distracted, Sehun looked down as well and noticed Jongin’s pants from the night before lying on the floor next to his feet. Sehun picked it up and handed it to the blonde.

  
“Oh, t-thank you!” Jongin stuttered as he grabbed the article of clothing and quickly made his way to the bathroom to change. Sehun quirked a brow at the hasty retreat, noticing that Jongin wasn’t stuttering when he spoke to Jun and Jae. ‘ _Maybe I intimidate him_?’ Sehun thought, but one look at the twin body guards quickly disproved the idea.

  
“Now that we don’t have to worry about the young master,” Jun said, walking toward Sehun with slow and measured steps. “We can really begin a preview of the talk he’ll have with the Boss.” Jae finished his twin’s sentence, not far from his brother’s form.

  
Sehun gulped, but he stood his ground and refused to back away. If anything happened to him, Jongin would surely tell the police that the Carbon Copy Twins did it. ‘ _But then again, he might not, I did make him cry and I did ask for a divorce first thing in the morning…_ ’ Damn, Sehun was going to die.

  
Cracking his knuckles, Jun leaned toward Sehun’s face and he glared at him threateningly. “So rich boy, is there any reason that young master Jongin was crying?”

  
Jae sidled up to him and he cracked his neck. “You might want to speak the truth, we don’t take kindly to lying strangers in Nevada.”

  
“I didn’t intend to hurt him! I just wanted to-”

  
“What? You just wanted to run off and leave him with a broken heart and fake wedding ring?” They asked simultaneously, backing Sehun into the wall, the edge of the dresser digging into his lower back.

  
“No!” Sehun protested immediately. “I wasn’t just going to leave without an explanation, I’m not a complete bastard.” He said earnestly, hoping that his face showed his honesty. “And the ring wasn’t fake.”

  
The twins regarded him for a few more moments before they laughed and backed away. “You got balls Sehun, you’re alright.” Jun (or was it Jae?) said as he clapped him roughly on the back. Sehun grunted from the force of the blow. It felt like a car jut smashed into his shoulder.

  
Jae laughed and he threw an arm around Sehun, bringing him closer. “Just pray that you don’t get on the Boss’ bad side, he doesn’t even tolerate a _mosquito_ biting the young master without overreacting.” He whispered warningly, pulling away from Sehun along with his twin just in time for Jongin to crack the bathroom door open and peek out into the suite.

  
“Your turn now, Hon- _Sehun_.” The little slip up didn’t go unnoticed by anyone, but aside from a light flush, Jongin moved on. It was the first mistake he made since Sehun told him to use his proper name.

  
“…Right…” Sehun answered uncertainly, feeling a little pang in his chest when Jongin avoided his eyes and called him by his first name. ‘ _Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything…_ ’ Shaking away the thought, Sehun gathered a random ensemble and headed to the bathroom for some much needed privacy.

 

-♔-

 

Sehun and Jongin were standing before a small man with chubby cheeks sitting at a desk that looked too large for him. If someone had asked Sehun what he thought a Don and a casino/ hotel owner looked like, he would have conjured an image similar to that of Jun and Jae.

  
When the guards had led him and Jongin down past the casino floor to an underground room, Sehun was suspicious to say the least. Then the doors opened and the office hidden behind the large oak door looked like something out of an American gangster movie. He hadn’t actually been too surprised when Jongin apologetically explained that his family was the owner of the hotel, after all, Jun and Jae seemed like the type to show difference only to their boss.

  
What Sehun should have expected, but didn’t, was for the cutesy looking man to clasp his hands in front of his face and rest his chin on it, nonchalantly welcoming him to the ‘ _Infamous Kim family, you’ll get used to the way things run around here, boy.’_

  
If that wasn’t a dead giveaway, then surely the thick rings on the small man’s fingers, the haughty and confident look on his face, and the giant God Father Style portrait hanging above his head was enough to clue Sehun in. He was fucking standing in front of the owner/ mafia Boss of the El Dorado casino and Hotel.

  
“Uh, why exactly am I here?” Shun finally dared to ask when Jun and Jae closed the door behind him and Jongin, leaving them alone with the small man.

  
The man dropped his hand and gestured from Jongin to Sehun. “Jonginnie, you didn’t tell him about me?” He asked, his face giving nothing away, though Sehun could see a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

  
“Dad-” Jongin began but Sehun cut him off.

  
“What! This baby faced cherub is your dad!?” He interjected incredulously, his eyes widening as his gaze flickered from Jongin to the short man.

  
“The fuck did you call me! You little shit, I’ll have you know that I am thirty-seven years old!” The man yelled as he sprang up from his desk. “And if you want to live, you’ll refer to me as Sir, the likes of you doesn’t deserve to even call me Minseok.”

  
Sehun backed down, and Minseok glared at him. “Do I make myself clear, you-”

  
“Daddy, please leave him alone! He didn’t mean to offend you, or say that…out loud.” Jongin defended, waving his hands in a placating manner in front of his father. That was a mistake.

  
“What the hell is that?” Minseok stared at Jongin’s left hand and he slouched back in his desk in a display of controlled anger. Sehun could see the loaded question for what it was, especially since Minseok was side eyeing him with a glare.

  
“O-oh? This is my wedding ring…” Jongin answered while cradling his hand and bringing the ring to his father’s gaze with a little bit of pride in his eyes. “Sehun gave me this last night.”

  
Minseok grabbed Jongin’s hand and he pulled the blonde closer. “Hmmm, not bad. Lil’ Shit has good taste.” He said grudgingly, the ring was made of gold and it was shaped into a little rose, the band a series of intertwined vines and leaves that matched Sehun’s. A large diamond was set in the middle and it managed to sparkle without difficulty in the low lighted office. It was definitely unique and the gold suited Jongin's honeyed skin tone.

  
Minseok let go of Jongin’s hand and he opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a fat cigar and placing it in his mouth before lighting it and inhaling the resulting smoke. “So, Sehun, was it? What exactly do you do for a living? It’s not every day that a kid like you has enough money to rent the presidential Suite of the most prestigious hotel in Las Vegas.”

  
Sehun straightened the collar of his dress shirt and he smirked confidently. Luhan’s father loved him; surely Minseok would be the same, even if they got off on the wrong foot at first. “Well I am a young CEO, at the age of twenty-five, I have managed to do what all my predecessors failed to do within their entire lives. My family owns the Oh Corporation and we control the greatest law firms and banks in Korea.” He said smugly, knowing that while not as interesting as Jongin’s background, his money and family more than made up for it-

  
“ _What_!? No, my angel can’t be married to a bastard like you!” Kim Minseok shouted, his Cuban cigar falling from his lips as he stood up and slammed his palms on his desk in outrage. “Jongin is in no way allowed to be married before he even turns eighteen, especially to a silver spoon fed brat like you! No man who has never even worked a day in his life can take over my empire, I spent too long working my ass off to get to the top. I’m not just gonna give it to some kid-”

  
Tuning out the man’s rant, Sehun paled and he looked at Jongin, who was standing to his left with a downturned gaze. “Not even _eight teen_ -! How old _are_ you?”

  
Jongin bit his lip and he mumbled an answer that had Sehun feeling faint. “I’m f-fifteen…”

  
_‘Oh my god! I’m a pedophile!’_ Sehun despaired.

  
“Exactly, my angel is too young to be married anyway. I was supposed to have three more years with him before I had to give him away!” Minseok whined, tears filling his big eyes as he walked over his desk and grabbed his son in a huge bear hug, not minding the fact that the height difference made him look nothing like the owner of El Dorado. Jongin patted his head gently and whispered comforting words in his father’s ear, though the older man had stopped fake crying by now and was busy soaking in the attention.

  
‘ _Okay, I guess it’s good that his father doesn’t like me,’_ Sehun thought when Minseok side eyed him and smirked smugly at him as he nuzzled into Jongin’s hold. ‘ _That should make the idea of a divorce easier to accept_.’

  
Clearing his throat, Sehun waited until he had the attention of both Jongin and Minseok. “Sir, I know this is a bit sudden, but Jongin has already agreed to this. We’re getting a divorce today.”

  
Minseok’s expression became blank and he released a slightly panicked Jongin from his hold. Confused at the reaction, Sehun turned to Jongin, but the boy was motioning for him to run.

  
“ _Sehun_ right?” He asked, stepping closer to the nervous man. Minseok didn’t wait for an answer before he began speaking again. “I could overlook you defiling my angel because you married him and made him a decent man, but now you’re telling me that after you used his body and ‘sampled the goods’ you want to divorce him and leave him like a common whore?”

  
Sehun gulped, “N-no Sir! It’s just that Jongin is too young and I have to go back to Korea soon-”

  
“Then take him with you! It’s as simple as that,” Minseok said, his face breaking into a relaxed smile. “Aish, this bastard had me thinking that I had to call in Chen.” The small man said, playfully nudging Jongin in the side as he passed him on his way to his desk.

  
Jongin sighed and Sehun finally let out a breath of relief, feeling as if he just dodged a shotgun bullet. “Uhm, daddy, it really is necessary for us to get a divorce…he already has a fiancé.”

  
Minseok dropped his lighter on his desk and he bit off the end of his new cigar. “WHAT!?”

  
Sehun backed up a step when the small man glared at him with enough ice to freeze him over. “You _fucker_! You already had a fiancé and you married _my_ Jonginnie too soon, you indecisive fuckboy! CHEN!!”

  
A hidden door behind the desk immediately opened and a man stepped out. Black hair fell into the stranger’s face and a small cat like smile adorned his lips as Minseok pointed at Sehun with a threating finger. “Chen, castrate him!”

  
“Yes Boss.” Chen nodded as he sprang into the room, a hand reaching into his suit jacket to pull out a wickedly sharp knife. The edge of the blade gleamed within the low light of the office and Sehun gulped when Chen twisted his hand back and flung the knife in his direction.

  
_‘I’m gonna die!!’_ Sehun thought for the second time that day, shutting his eyes and hoping that it wouldn’t hurt too much when he was struck. But after a few moments of no impact, Sehun cracked an eye opened and he saw Jongin standing before him with a protective stance.

  
“Daddy, you can’t’ kill him!” Jongin said, the knife caught in his hold and a fiercely disapproving look in his eyes as he stared down his petulant father.

  
“No Jonginnie, I wasn’t going to _kill_ him, I was just gonna have Chen here teach him a lesson-”

  
“Dad.” Jongin replied in a stern tone, flinging the knife in his hand at a clear spot on the wall where it imbedded itself to the hilt.

  
Minseok sighed and he hung his head before he snapped a few fingers at Chen. “Leave us.”

  
“Yes Boss,” Chen nodded again, easily slipping back into the hidden doorway and closing it behind him. Sehun thought he heard disappointed grumbling from the other man, but the door shut firmly back into place and it was just him, Jongin, and his crazy father in the study again.

  
“Thank you,” Jongin said, finally relaxing with a soft indulgent smile on his face. Minseok huffed, but he allowed his son to give him a little apology kiss on his full cheek. “I spoil you too much.” The older man muttered as he stood on the top of his toes to ruffle his hair.

  
“I know,” Jongin replied but the smile slipped from his face when Sehun coughed meaningfully. “And I know that this makes you unhappy, but can you _please_ help us divorce? Sehun has to leave within the next two weeks and I’m sure his fiancé misses him.”

  
Minseok frowned and he eyed Sehun, who straightened and tried not to cower away from the shorter male’s piercing cat eyes. “Jongin, I would do anything for you-”

  
Sehun breathed an audible sigh of relief and his shoulders looked as if a huge burden had been lifted off of them. Jongin tried not to let the action hurt him too much, but he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. He wasn’t that much of a bother was he?

  
“However,” Minseok continued as he turned to face Sehun with an expression of contempt. “I will not allow this bastard the satisfaction of taking my angel and then leaving him high and dry in Los Vegas. Sehun, you’ll have to tell your fiancé about your new husband because I’m not letting you off that easily!”

  
Jongin and Sehun gasped and they both opened their mouths to protest the decision, but Minseok lifted a hand and he shot them both a stern expression. “You’ll have to deal with this yourselves, you’ll receive no help from me or anyone else within this city, so get used to being a married couple.” Satisfied with the decree, Minseok hummed to himself and he turned back to Jongin with a cute smile on his face. “Now Jonginnie, why don’t we get some lunch? Since you’re married now, I can cancel the Wu meeting….”

  
Before Sehun could so much as protest, Minseok wrapped an arm around his husband and strode out the door, leaving him all alone. “ _Damn it_!” Sehun shouted, ruffling his hair in agitation as he kicked Minseok’s desk out of sheer childishness. “I will have to find my stupid phone and then answer Luhan and Yifan’s messages without getting myself killed in the process, shit my life is ruined!”

  
Mid rant, Sehun began pacing feverishly. Unbeknownst to the troubled young man, the secret door slid open again and Chen peeked out curiously, an amused smile still adorning his lips.

  
Chen watched as Sehun still paced, cursing and muttering under his breath as he ran a hand through his thick black hair over and over again. Chuckling, Chen slipped into the Boss’ chair and put his feet up on the desk, careful not to knock anything over or wrinkle the paperwork littered on its surface. “Hey fuckboy, you look like you need a drink.”

  
Sehun stopped moving and he blinked in surprise at Chen. But he soon became wary of him and he subtly edged toward the door. “I’m not a ‘ _fuckboy_ ,’ and I don’t really think that another drink is going to fix my situation. It was because of drinking that I’m in this mess anyway.” Sehun replied shortly, discreetly reaching behind his back for the doorknob so that he could escape in case Chen decided to carry out his Boss’ orders now that Sehun was alone.

  
“Whatever your name is, you are going to stop trying to sneak away and you are going to have a drink with me. Right now.” With that said, Chen stood up and grabbed Sehun’s arm before he dragged him down the hall, intent on ordering the hotel’s most famous and most expensive drink, aptly named the Black Out.

 

 

 


	4. Oh Don't Ask Why

 

  
“Hey, don’t skip on the cherry.” Chen ordered the bartender. The man nodded indulgently at him and he opened a jar of maraschino cherries, scooping a few extra and dropping it into the sparkly black liquid of the Black Out.

  
Chen gladly picked up the drinks in identical glasses of cut crystal and he headed across the room toward a lone table set by the wall. Some blues band was hired to play in the afternoon, but aside from people scattered around the bar and various set up tables, the dancefloor was empty.

  
“Here pale face, this should perk you up and put some hair on your scrawny chest.” Chen said as he plopped down in a seat across from Sehun.

  
“For the last time, my name is Sehun.” Sehun frowned, giving the glittery black drink a dubious look. He soon grabbed the cup and took a tentative sip. A sweet heady flavor assaulted his tongue and Sehun was reminded of midnight berries and luscious red cherries. If Sin had a taste, surely this was it.

  
“Good isn’t it, _Sehun_.” Chen said, stressing his name to see if he got a rise out of Sehun. No such luck.

  
Humming in content, Sehun took another swig of the drink before he placed it back on the table with a loud clank. “So why exactly did you bring me down here, I don’t quite believe that a mafia enforcer would want to spend personal time with his mark.”

  
Chen threw his head back and laughed at Sehun, almost falling out of his seat. “Y-you-” He stuttered, holding his stomach and trying to control his laughter, “-watch too many movies!”

  
Sehun frowned and shifted in his seat, thankful that the darkened club was enough to hide his embarrassed flush. “Well excuse my ignorance, I have absolutely no experience dealing with organized crime.” He retorted, lifting his drink to take another sip. He was already addicted to the taste, but he couldn’t help wondering if Black Out would taste better on Jongin’s lips.

  
“Down boy, I don’t like the way you’re looking at me. I don’t swing that way.” Chen interrupted, looking at Sehun suspiciously as he tightened his suit jacket and scooted his chair away from him.

  
Sehun sputtered and an indignant flush worked its way down his face, “W-what!? As if I’d ever-”

  
“Good. Jonginnie deserves nothing less than royal treatment.” Chen said nonchalantly, his lips quirking up as he brought his drink to his lips. “If the Boss didn’t already order me to let you live, I’d kill you just so the little prince would stay pure.”

  
Sehun gaped at the man. ‘ _How the hell is he so blasé about it!? We’re in public too!’_

  
“But I’m contradicting myself.” Chen added, looking lost in thought as he put his glass down on the table elegantly after taking a dink. “I really liked giving him all kinds of drinks and little samples of other stuff just to see him transform into Kai. It was fun releasing him on the dance floor and then beating off all the men who flocked to him. Good times.”

  
Blinking in shock, Sehun leaned closer to Chen, his voice raising a few octaves in disbelief. “You’re the bastard responsible for this entire mess, aren’t you!?” He challenged, holding up his left hand and shaking it back and forth in front of Chen’s face. “My life is in ruins because you wanted to have a little fun by throwing Jongin to the wolves!”

  
Chen’s eyes narrowed at Sehun. “Hey, I’ve been doing it every now and then for the past few months and I’ve only slipped up _once_. That’s hella lot more difficult than anything you’ve ever done in your life!” He countered, his words just beginning to get a little slurred. Sehun stole a glance at his glass and was surprised to see that it was already empty.

  
“Are you seriously getting drunk now? I’m not going to carry you upstairs, in fact when you pass out drunk, I’m a gonna draw ‘un yor face a-and…. _and_ ,” Sehun hiccupped and then giggled when the loud noise almost seemed to echo in the club. “Wha’s in thiiis?” He drawled, looking at his Black Out drink with a petulant expression on his face.

  
Chen laughed again, though the noise was more choked off and he sounded like he was dying. “Sehun, it’s made of…..” He trailed off and his eyes followed something invisible above Sehun’s head. “I forget. Myabe is farieeee _rust_!”

  
Sehun crinkled a brow and he stared at Chen. “Supid, fariesn’t reel!”

  
Chen just lolled his head to the side and slumped against the table along with Sehun. “Mero Cherry!! Bar maker!!”

 

-♔-

 

After a hot shower and a change of fresh clothes, Jongin was now seated across from his father at an upscale restaurant across the town from El Dorado. It was Minseok’s favorite sushi restaurant and Jongin admitted that the place wasn’t too bad, it had relaxing traditional Japanese music playing in the back and the décor consisted of fine cherry wood, papered Shoji screens, and delicate scrolls of calligraphy and cherry blossom ink renditions.

  
“Aish, I can’t believe that of all the people you had to pick, you had to choose some high class brat who doesn’t know the meaning of hard work.” Minseok complained as he shifted in his cushioned seat cross from Jongin. The low table was an exact replica of something that could be found in Japan and Jongin supposed the authenticity of the restaurant was one of the reasons his picky father loved it.

  
“Daddy, can you please stop badmouthing Sehun when he isn’t here? It’s rude and all your baseless comments can apply to me as well, I’ve never had a day job or done any hard labor.” Jongin lowered his eyes and he looked up at his father through his eyelashes. “Does that make me as useless as Sehun in your eyes?” He asked in a meek tone.

  
Minseok gasped in horror and he quickly waved his hands in front of himself. “N-no! Jongin, I don’t think that way, I was just saying all this because my baby got married and now I can’t keep you with me!” Jongin’s eyes glistened dangerously as he sniffed and Minseok grew frantic. “O-okay, I’ll stop insulting him and I’ll even call him by his name, Sehun!”

  
Jongin’s face broke into a dazzling smile and his eyes brightened immediately. “Thank you daddy!” He chirped, humming as he took the warm pot of tea and began pouring it in his father’s cup.

  
‘ _Aish, this devious angel,’_ Minseok thought in relief and more than a little fondness. He sighed as he picked up his full tea cup and blew away the steam. _‘I spoiled him too much…_ ’ Since the day he was born, Jongin had Minseok wrapped around his little finger. And helplessly weak when it came to his only son, Minseok easily caved into every single whim and desire that Jongin had. When the boy wanted a pet, he bought him a zoo. When Jongin wanted new toys to play with, Minseok bought him an entire mall. When he wanted to dance, Minseok bought him his own studio and handed him the deed, killing anyone who dared to even mutter insults under their breath about the son of a Mafia boss dancing ballet. He did everything he could to please Jongin, and Minseok was proud that his son was a well-grounded person, shy and humble and sweeter than sugar. Jongin was beautiful and Minseok loved to provide for his son, even if he was a little over the top and over protective.

  
“It’s been a while since we’ve done this daddy, I missed it.” Jongin interrupted his father’s train of thought and pulled him out of his memories. “You’ve been so busy lately that I only see you for a few minutes every day…” He trailed off with a wistful look in his eyes. The cream sweater he wore made him look cuddly and the way he lightly held onto his tea cup and warmed his hands made Minseok inwardly squeal at his son’s cuteness.

  
But, back to the topic at hand. Jongin was frowning and he looked sad, Minseok had to make him smile again. “I’m sorry Jonginnie, how about I clear my schedule for a week and spend it doting on you?” He asked, his mind already going through the possibilities. It would be bit of a stretch, but he could make it work if he raised Chen’s salary and forced him do paperwork every day for a week.

  
Jongin smiled softly and he laughed at his father’s eager expression. “Daddy, that’s too much! You have work to do, El Dorado depends on you.” He took a sip of his tea while his father pouted. “Besides I’m already an adult, I don’t need you to dote on me more than you already are.”

  
Minseok sulked and he watched Jongin sample the tea, a thoughtful expression on his face. “But I like spending time with you!” Minseok whined, turning big pleading eyes to his son. “And surely you’re not too grown to leave your dad for your husband, right?”

  
Jongin looked away from the eyes, knowing that his father was the one who unknowingly taught his son the deadly puppy dog eyed look. “I-I still love you dad, nothing in the world can change that.” He said sincerely, meeting his father’s gaze with fond warmth in his eyes. “And I said I didn’t need a week, I wouldn’t object to having your full attention for a day or two, here and there.”

  
Minseok rejoiced and he sat upright in his seat. “Yes! Why don’t we devote today to just us, huh? We can have lunch then tour the town and get ice cream, then have dinner in the evening and watch a movie before we go to bed.” Minseok said happily, it as something they did countless times before, when Jongin was a kid and Minseok found the time to spend a day with him. It wasn’t too uncommon to see Minseok and a five year old Jongin around town every Saturday, but that was years ago.

  
Jongin smiled indulgently at his father and he nodded in agreement. “Sure dad, we can while away the day.” It w wasn’t like Sehun was going to wait for him anyway, he already had someone else and Jongin was merely holding him back.

  
Their food arrived and Minseok dug in with much gusto, even attempting to feed Jongin like he was five again. Yet through it all, Jongin couldn’t help but feel a little down, the first man he kissed and spent the night with wanted to divorce him and move back to another country.

 

-♔-

 

When the day was over, Jongin managed to convince his father to take him back to El Dorado. His excuse was that he left something in Sehun’s room, but instead of having a maid collect it for him, Jongin wanted to get it himself. He hoped that he could catch a moment of Sehun’s time so that he could speak to him privately. It was late, but Sehun should be back in his room when Jongin went up there, unless he found somewhere else to sleep.

  
The elevator pinged and Jongin shook himself out of his thoughts, he needed to have a clear head if he was going to get his point across to Sehun. Stepping out of the elevator and into the hall, Jongin made his way to the Presidential Suite and he took a deep calming breath before he knocked lightly on the door.

  
A loud thump was heard and it took a few momnets, but the door wrenched open and Jognin was met with the sight of his husband’s pale chest. “Chen, if ya wanna ‘nother drink, I ain’t got nooo money-”

  
Sehun paused and he looked down at Jongin in surprise. “Oh, it’s myyy _Jonginnie_!” He shouted, grabbing Jongin and pulling him into a tight embrace.

  
“ _Ah_!” Jongin gasped in surprise when Sehun nuzzled his nose into the space just below his jaw, his mouth nipping at his rapidly beating pulse. “Missed you…” He hummed, content to have Jongin in his arms, he was the only thing stopping him from swaying dangerously to the side and kissing the floor.

  
“S-sehun, w-what are you doing!?” Jongin asked, shivering when the taller male tightened his hold on him again and sighed into his neck. “I’m snugglin’.”He replied and Jongin finally noticed that he smelled faintly of alcohol and something else, it was almost sickeningly sweet and it reminded him of fruit.

  
“Were you drinking?” Jongin asked, grunting when Sehun nodded sloppily and leaned all his weight on him. “Yehet! Chen made me buy…Black Light? Cherry goood.”

  
Jongin huffed, he should have known, Chen was always starting trouble when he wasn’t involved in a fight. “W-well, you should go to bed. I have something I want to ask you in the morning…” Jongin maneuvered Sehun out of the doorway and he managed to close the room door and lock it before he clumsily led Sehun to his bed. It was a difficult task, especially since Sehun clung to his side, like a six foot tall koala.

  
“Okay!” Jongin finally sighed when he dumped his drunk husband on the bed. His face was flushed from exertion and his cozy sweater made him heat up uncomfortably. “I’ll get you something to drink,” he murmured, taking one look at Sehun’s incoherent form and knowing that if he didn’t have at least a cup of water, Sehun was going to have a terrible hangover the next day.

  
Seeing his husband retreat to the mini lounge, Sehun whined and sat up in bed, prepared to get up and follow the sweet boy. “Jonginnie, come back! ‘Mm sorry, no more divorce!” He pleaded, hoping to get his husband to cuddle with him on the bed. Sehun was sure that he could fall asleep faster if he had Jongin in his arms, he was warm and soft and he smelled nice and he was pretty and-

  
“Here, drink this.” Jongin ordered once he came back. He held out a little glass of water out to Sehun but when the man made no move to take it, Jongin sighed and placed it on the bedside table. “I-I’ll leave now, I didn’t mean to intrude- _Yah_!”

  
While he was apologizing to Sehun, the drunken male grabbed his wrist and yanked him down on top of him. Sehun grunted at the less than smooth impact, but his face relaxed and he wrapped his long arms around Jongin’s struggling form. “No, Jonginnie stays!” He slurred, his eyes already sliding shut as he was lulled into a near sleep.

  
Jongin felt himself blush and his heart sped up, a side a effect of being close to Sehun, but he soon shook off the desire to stay in his husband’s arms. ‘ _Don’t get too close! Remember he has a fiancé in Seoul!’_ Jongin scolded himself as he wriggled some more and finally managed to sit up.

  
Sehun cracked his eyes open and he watched with interest as Jongin straddled his hips and sat up, his hands automatically falling down to Sehun’s bare chest. “L-let me go Sehun!”

  
Frowning, Sehun grabbed Jongin’s hips and he gripped the soft flesh there roughly. “No, I’m keepin’ you.” Jongin’s eyebrows furrowed and he met Sehun’s eyes with a pleading gaze. “Please Sehun, will you let me go?” He asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes for extra effect.

  
Sehun’s eyes widened and a lascivious spark entered his eyes as he licked his lips and let his eyes wander over Jongin’s form. He was adorable in his oversized cream sweater, his fluffy blonde hair falling into his wide brown eyes. But the sweet and docile expression on his face paired with the flush on his cheeks made him look so innocent and sensual that Sehun wanted to _ruin_ him.

  
“Not letting go, even if Jonginnie calls me just _Sehun_ now,” Sehun replied, pouting when he remembered his husband wasn’t using a pet name for him. He missed watching those plump red lips form the word Honey, it made Sehun feel unbelievably tingly. The feeling had him wanting to smile until his cheeks hurt and Yifan called him creepy, which wasn’t something he’d done with Luhan since they first met.

  
Flushing even more, Jongin squirmed in place, but Sehun’s grip was firm and he was serious about wanting to keep Jongin. Sighing in resignation, Jongin avoided Sehun’s eyes and he mumbled something that had Sehun perking up with interest, though Jongin’s tone was so low with embarrassment that he couldn’t catch a word he said.

  
“What?” Sehun finally asked. Jongin huffed and the flush on his face spread, but he defiantly met Sehun’s eyes. “H-Honey, can you please let me go?”

  
Surprised, Sehun allowed his hands to go slack, but Jongin didn’t move. He seemed to be waiting for Sehun to say something.

  
“Awww, Jonginnie, you cute~!” Sehun shouted as he grabbed onto Jongin and smothered him in little kisses across his face.

  
Jongin shouted muffled protests to Sehun, but the older male ignored him and continued to hold him as he rolled over and trapped Jongin under him. Breathless, they stared at one another and Sehun finally seemed to be sobering a little, though the red color of his cheeks refused to go away.

  
_“Beautiful,”_ Sehun muttered, his eyes roaming from Jongin’s eyes to his lips. Balancing on one arm, Sehun brought his free hand up and he gently caressed the side of Jongin’s cheek. The honeyed skin was soft to the touch and Sehun felt the warmth of Jongin’s skin seep through his fingertips and reach his heart.

  
Caught off guard, Jongin’s lips parted and a little gasp let his mouth before Sehun lowered his head and gently kissed him. Their lips met in a tentative touch and Jongin slowly relaxed into Sehun’s hold, all the fight leaving him when his eyes fluttered closed.

  
Lost in the moment, Sehun finally gave into his desires and he pressed his lips harder against Jongin, lightly biting his bottom lip and sucking on it. The leftover taste of the Black Out lingered in Sehun’s mouth and along with the sweet taste of Jongin on his tongue, Sehun found that the drink was indeed better when sampled on his cute husband’s lips.

  
A sharp ringing made Sehun fly back away from Jongin, his hand reaching to grab his newly recovered phone. He forgot he turned it on earlier, and the name flashing across the screen had Sehun’s buzz fading away as harsh reality set in. Luhan was calling.

  
Forgetting about Jongin, Sehun swiped the call screen and brought the device to his ear, answering in the most normal voice he could muster with the memory of Jongin’s mouth and warmth lingering in his mind.

  
“Hey, Luhan-”

  
“ _What is going on with you!? I have been calling you all day today and all evening yesterday, you’re not doing anything stupid, right? The wedding is set only a month from now Sehun!”_ Luhan’s irritated voice cut Sehun off and echoed coldly in the room. Sehun felt Jongin gasp softly behind him and the mattress dipped behind him before more shuffling reached his ears.

  
“N-no Luhan, I was just busy meeting with the hotel owner and I forgot to charge my phone.” Sehun answered easily, the lie slipping from his mouth and sounding as natural as breathing. Luhan grumbled some more on the phone, but Sehun wasn’t really paying attention because he could hear the soft click of the door as it shut behind Jongin. The sound was unbelievably depressing and it settled a heavy weight on his chest more than the times that Sehun had been stood up on dinner dates by Luhan because his fiancé was too busy with work. _It hurt like hell._

 

 


	5. Walk the Walk

 

 

Jongin clutched his chest when he made it out into the hall, his eyes filled with tears as he sobbed. _‘I’m so stupid_!’ He reprimanded himself harshly, knowing that Sehun wouldn’t choose him over his fiancé, but still he still naïvely hoped for him to change his mind. The kiss earlier seemed sincere and it made Jongin feel protected and loved in a way that wasn’t platonic. Jongin knew that he liked Sehun too much to let him go. Yet he couldn’t force the man to stay by his side, nor could he force Sehun to love him back.

  
Sniffing, Jongin used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his tears. It proved futile because more tears soon replaced them and Jongin gasped again, breathless from his heaving sobs. Sehun was his first everything and it wasn’t far that he married him and didn’t even get a chance to know him. Sehun wanted a speedy divorce, Jongin was sure the man would be happier the sooner he got rid of him. No one wanted a kid as a spouse.

  
 _‘I need to get away, anywhere is better than here right now!_ ’ With that thought in mind, Jongin blindly made his way to the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. El Dorado was too much for his poor heart to deal with.

 

-♔-

 

A splash of cold water made Sehun yelp and jerk upright in bed, his arms flailing helplessly in his sheets.

  
“Get up you bastard!” A rough voice shouted and Sehun immediately recognized it as Minseok’s voice. “I know that this is all your fault, what did you do to my angel!?”

  
Grimacing in disgust, Sehun flung the wet blankets away from his body and he blearily focused on the small form of Minseok, the pounding headache not helping him in any sense at the moment. _‘I really need to stop drinking.’_

  
“Answer me you shit! My Jonginnie is missing and now I have to deal with your drunken ass, I swear if anything happened to him-”

  
“Wait, Jongin is _missing_?” Sehun asked, now wide awake.

  
Minseok stood before him fuming and he harshly kicked the bed near Sehun’s leg. “Yes you slow fuck! I’ve been looking for him all morning and the security cameras showed that he came here last night and then left the hotel, so I repeat, _what the fuck did you do to my son?”_

  
Guilt hit Sehun in the gut and he felt sick enough throw up again, and after his drinking and snacking spree with Chen in the bar, he was sure that he wouldn’t dry heave this time. Maybe if he was lucky-

  
“ _Hell no_! Jun, carry his green ass to the bathroom, this little shit isn’t puking in my shoes or my floor!” Minseok shouted, snapping his fingers harshly at the bodyguard standing behind him. Jae was nowhere to be found.

  
Jun let out an immediate “ _Yes Boss,”_ and he moved to quickly place an arm under Sehun’s shoulder and escort him to the bathroom.

  
Minseok eyed Shun in disgust from the safety of the bathroom doorway while Jun was stuck supporting Sehun’s limp and heaving form. “You have a severe problem with alcohol boy, and I’m not sure if you’re testing my patience or if you’re just unlucky.”

  
 _‘I’m definitely not a lucky one,_ ’ Sehun thought once he was done throwing up and the toilet was flushed.

  
“I hate to show you any courtesy, but we’ll leave you to make yourself presentable. Meet me in the lobby, and if you make a run for it, just remember that Chen likes to _play_ with his victims before he takes their life.” With that said, Minseok whirled around on the heels of his expensive leather boots and he strode out of the most expensive room in El Dorado.

  
Sighing, Sehun got up and decided to do the man’s bidding, knowing that if he continued to stay on his bad side, Minseok wouldn’t hesitate to kill him despite Jongin’s wishes. And really, Sehun couldn’t find fault in him for wanting to kill him, Jongin didn’t deserve to be treated as a replacement for Luhan just because Sehun was lonely.

  
The depressing thought had Sehun feeling even guiltier about jumping Jongin and kissing him after asking for a divorce and revealing that he was already promised to Luhan. _‘I’m scum_ ,’ Sehun despaired, opening the shower stall and walking inside, turning on the hot water and letting the spray massage out the kinks in his aching back.

  
He didn’t know why he kissed Jongin, he didn’t know him well enough to love him the way he did Luhan, but Jongin was beautiful and saccharine and he was unfairly optimistic. He remained courteous to Sehun even when he didn’t deserve it and he caved to every one of his whims. Sehun knew that realistically, a spouse wouldn’t give up their marriage so easily and though Sehun had lots of money and Jongin could probably demand half of everything, he didn’t.

  
Jongin really was an angel like Minseok said he was and Sehun wished that he had never set foot in El Dorado and met Jongin. That way, he’d never take advantage of the boy’s kindness and break his heart by giving him false hope.

 

-♔-

 

Jongin warily eyed the man across the street. He’d been following him since early that morning, and after an exhausting night of aimless walking, Jongin was more than a little frightened. _‘I should have lost him by now!_ ’ He thought in a panic as he turned another corner and cut through an abandoned alleyway.

  
However, Jongin ran into a dead end and he fearfully stared up at the brick wall before a loud crash sounded behind him along with a pained groan.

  
Startled, Jongin turned around and the hood finally fell off the man’s head and revealed his face. He was surprisingly young and if Jongin were more inclined to a stranger following him around, he would have thought him handsome despite his large ears, offset by his blood red hair.

  
“W-who are you!?” Jongin stuttered out, his sweater clad arms circling his torso protectively as the man stood up and sheepishly began dusting himself off. In the low dawn light, Jongin was sure that he made an easy target. It was still dark enough that the stranger could do something and it was late enough past the party hours that no would hear him scream, the perfect opportunity to attack.

  
“S-sorry!” The man apologized and Jongin was surprised to hear his cheerful voice, though it was still deep and made him tense in apprehension. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I-I just thought that you looked like someone I knew.”

  
Jongin eyed the man warily as he stepped closer to him, he still didn’t fully believe that the stranger’s intentions were good. “T-that doesn’t mean you can follow me a-around!”

  
The red headed man coughed uncomfortably and he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, about that…I was only going to observe you until we parted ways, but then you followed my route home! I guess I got too caught up following you and accidentally ran into the trashcan…” The tall man looked down at the ground and he accusingly eyed the knocked over trash bin.

  
Jongin stared at him in disbelief, gaping. “Is that it!?” he asked rhetorically. Upon seeing the stranger’s embarrassed and flushed face, Jongin began laughed, little tears springing into the corners of his eyes at the intensity of the emotion flooding his being. “Oh my god! You had me thinking that you were a serial killer!” He managed to gasp out between fits of laughter.

  
The man smiled hesitantly and he fiddled with the strings of his hoodie. “As an apology, do you maybe want to get a cup of coffee?” He asked shyly, his blush intensifying when Jongin stared at him in surprise. “I-I mean, you don’t have to and I know this wasn’t a great first meeting, but you seem really sweet?”

  
Jongin smiled softly and he headed in the man’s direction with complete trust. “Yes, we can have coffee, but first I have to know your name.”

  
The red head beamed at him and he graciously offered his arm to Jongin, who took it gratefully and let the man’s body heat slowly chase away the chill of the night. “I’m Chanyeol.”

 

-♔-

 

Sehun tapped his foot impatiently as he stood outside the hotel next to Minseok. They were waiting for the stupid chauffer to show up and Sehun was anxiously aware of every single second that passed by with Jongin missing. It didn’t help that he kept checking his watch incessantly. Sehun sighed and he ran a hand through his hair roughly.

  
“Will you fucking stop twitching!?” Minseok growled out as he reached up and slapped Sehun on the back of his head.

  
“Ow, what was that for?” Sehun whined, holding his head and rubbing the tender area. Great, now he had a migraine on top of a hangover.

  
“You piss me off and my hand twitched.” Minseok answered sarcastically when the car finally pulled up. All Sehun knew about it was that it was sleek and expensive looking, it was also a shiny silver.

  
The driver door opened and an older gentleman bowed in front of Minseok before he opened the passenger door with a flourish. “Your car, Sir.” He said in accented English, making Sehun think of his father’s business associates from England.

  
Minseok settled into the front seat swiftly and the butler shut the door and strode right to the driver’s side. Sehun stared dumbly, not quite believing that he’d been snubbed by the help.

  
The passenger door window rolled down and Minseok glared out at Sehun. “Stop standing there like an idiot and get in the damn car, we don’t have all day, my angel is missing!”

  
Sehun grumbled to himself as Minseok rolled up the window. No sooner had he settled in the car and shut the door, did the car start and zoom straight out of the hotel driveway. “Shit-!” Sehun cursed as he was thrown back into the seat and forced to buckle himself in before the old man crashed the car into a wall at top speed. “I thought old men were supposed to drive like turtles!” He yelped when the car swerved deeply to the left and he smacked into the right door, nearly cracking his head on the window.

  
Minseok cackled when he saw Sehun flail, “This is Charles, an old Indie 500 Championship racer. He works for me and has never gotten a ticket or been pulled over a day in his life.”

  
Sehun paled and he pointed at the windshield in fear. “We’re driving the wrong way on a one way street! SWERVE!”

  
Charles gunned it instead and the oncoming car swerved and crashed into a nearby telephone pole. Minseok looked at Sehun condescendingly, pulling a cigarette from his jacket pocket and placing it in his lips. Charles used his right hand to flick open a silver lighter and he lit the end of the cigarette for the mafia boss.

  
Inhaling deeply and blowing a smoke ring at Sehun, Minseok smirked and turned back to watch the road. “You need to stop screeching brat, it can’t be good for your stupid hangover.”

  
Sehun decided that he really hated Minseok.

  
“Young man, you may want to close your eyes,” Charles advised and Sehun gaped when he saw what they were headed for.

 

-♔-

 

Chanyeol nervously picked up his order of one coffee, one hot chocolate, and two chocolate croissants. He concentrated on not dropping anything and he whooped with triumph when he made it to the booth that Jongin was sitting at safely.

  
“Thank you,” Jongin hummed happily as he took the offered drink. He sighed when the warm cup touched his chilled fingers and he blew on the steam rising from the cup.

  
Chanyeol watched his mouth with a blush on his face before he shook his head and sat down across from the oblivious boy. “You don’t have to thank me,” He added, pushing one warm chocolaty dessert to Jongin. “It’s the least I could do after scaring you so early in the morning.”

  
Jongin took the food and he bit into it, sighing when the crispy croissant crumbled in his mouth and blended with the slightly bitter chocolate. It felt nice to eat something warm and sweet, and Jongin had a soft spot for deserts especially. “No matter what you say, I’m still thankful that you didn’t kill me in a back alley and leave me for the coyotes.” He joked with a mischievous expression that made him look cute in the way a naughty puppy thought it was threatening.

  
Chanyeol choked on his hot coffee and he tried to hide his embarrassed flush. “Please don’t say that so loudly! I didn’t mean to give you that impression, I was just…”

  
Jongin laughed, his smile rivaling the dawn and his eyes crinkling into little crescents. “You were just following me, Mr. Ungainly stalker. I didn’t think serial killers were supposed to trip over trashcans.”

  
Chanyeol huffed and played with the little coffee stirrer left in his cup. “Can you not mention it ever again? The experience was embarrassing enough to traumatize me for life.”

  
“Hmm…” Jongin pretended to think it over, hiding his smile behind his cup of hot chocolate.

  
Chanyeol clasped his hands in front of his chest and he made an exaggerated pout with his lips while widening his eyes in an attempt at puppy eyes. “Please, this lowly Chanyeol begs the divine Mr. Kim to forget all transgressions on his person!”

  
One look at Chanyeol’s ridiculous expression had Jongin snickering. Chanyeol’s lips quirked and he looked like he was fighting off a smile as well. “Okay, let’s make a new start.” Jongin finally said, relenting and giving Chanyeol a break from teasing. “Hi, I’m Jongin.” He held back another laugh at Chanyeol’s surprised face as he struck out his hand and wriggled it playfully.

  
“Hello Jongin, I’m Chanyeol.” The red head introduced himself, playing along and shaking Jongin’s hand firmly. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  
Jongin kept a straight face for three seconds before he collapsed into a fit of giggles. Instantly endeared, Chanyeol did nothing more than smile in turn and chuckle. He didn’t mind at all that Jongin was laughing at him, he was more concerned with feeling pride that he could even entertain someone as beautiful as Jongin.

  
When Jongin calmed down, he raise a curious brow at Chanyeol. “Is there something on my face?”

  
Blushing in embarrassment, Chanyeol nodded and he gestured to an invisible crumb at the corner of Jongin’s mouth. “You have a little chocolate there…” He replied impishly, getting back at Jongin for teasing him earlier.

  
A delicate red color bloomed across Jongin’s cheeks and he self-consciously wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His pink tongue darted out and licked the edge off his thumb, stunning Chanyeol and wiping the hidden smirk off his face. Jongin then looked up at Chanyeol with an expectant gaze, “Did I get it all off?”

  
A little overwhelmed at the not so innocent display, Chanyeol closed his opened mouth and he nodded dumbly. Pleased, Jongin pointed at Chanyeol’s croissant. “May I _please_ eat yours?” For added persuasive affect, Jongin tiled his head to the side and he pouted a little while rubbing his stomach gently. “It was really good, but I’m still hungry-”

  
Chanyeol pushed the food over to Jongin immediately. “Help yourself! Please, I don’t mind!”

  
Excited, Jongin picked up the food and he bit into it with a sigh. “Thank you Chanyeol!”

  
The red head took a flustered sip of his coffee before he frowned and pushed it aside. _‘I really don’t need this, Jonginnie is more than enough to keep me awake!_ ’ He thought to himself with a nod, already addressing Jongin as a close friend in his mind.

  
“Hey Chanyeol, can I ask how old you are?” Jongin asked once he was done scarfing his food, brushing the crumbs away.

  
“I’m twenty six,” Chanyeol answered easily. “How old are you? I’d bet I’m your hyung.” Chanyeol almost got lost in a daze, imagining Jongin calling him hyung with his sweet lilting voice.

  
“Oh, I’m fifteen!” Jongin answered, looking up at Chanyeol with awe in his eyes. “How did you know you were my hyung?”

  
Chanyeol sputtered and he was glad that he decided to stop drinking his coffee, otherwise he’d have spit it all over Jongin in his shock. “WHAT!? You’re a minor!?”

  
Jongin frowned and he seemed to curl in on himself. “I-is that bad hyung?” He asked tentatively.

  
Chanyeol shook his head vigorously. “No, No! I just didn’t think that I’d possibly be charged for kidnapping! Is there an amber alert sent out for you, wait are you a runaway?” Chanyeol panicked. He should have known that a cutie like Jongin was trouble, but he looked so lost and cold and all he wanted to do was take him home and cuddle him and feed him everything sugary he had in his kitchen.

  
“I’m not a runaway!” Jongin protested quickly, jumping up and using his hands to cover Chanyeol’s mouth, casting a superstitious glance around the café in case anyone got the wrong idea about them. Luckily it was still empty despite the late morning sun peeking in through the windows.

  
Relaxing, Jongin sat back in his seat and he frowned when he met Chanyeol’s glazed over eyes earnestly. “I-I just needed… a little break from my hus- _someone_ , I promise that I didn’t run away from home hyung.”

  
Chanyeol took in the way Jongin lowered his head, his little teeth biting into his lip and his hands fidgeting in his lap. He didn’t have the heart to take the troubled boy back home if he wasn’t ready to go back yet. That meant that Chanyeol couldn’t keep him though, surely Jongin had someone who missed him and was greatly worried by his absence?

  
Sighing, Chanyeol stood up from his seat and he sat right next to Jongin, crowding him against the window at the edge of the booth. Surprised, Jongin did nothing more than stay still as Chanyeol wrapped a long arm around his shoulders and pulled him against his chest.

  
“I won’t force you to go back Jongin,” He said, his heart beating faster and his cheeks heating up again when Jongin calmed down at his words and snuggled into his side, enjoying the warmth of the offered hug. “A-and I won’t demand that you tell me your problems, but I’m here if you need any help or advice.”

  
Jongin sighed in relief and he nodded his head sluggishly. He felt well fed and warm enough to take a nap. “Mm’kay hyung…” Jongin murmured softly as his heavy eyelids drooped and he finally fell surrendered to the gentle lull of sleep.

  
The last thing he heard was the steady beat of s strong, kind heart and Chanyeol’s deep rumbling voice humming a familiar catchy tune. “ _We’ll be the lucky ones, I am the lucky one~!”_

 

 

 


	6. Talk the Talk

 

 

Chanyeol shifted uncomfortably in the booth and he winced when the crick in his neck spread down to his back. His arm was also falling asleep. After Jongin decided to take a nap, Chanyeol had stayed in the same position, figuring that the boy didn’t get much sleep if he was quick to fall asleep on someone he just met.

  
Although instead of finding it annoying or uncomfortable, Chanyeol found it charming and innocent. Not many were as naïve about trusting strangers the way Jongin was, then again Chanyeol wouldn’t do anything to him. Aside from stare at him. ‘ _Aish, this is stalker behavior, what am I doing?_ ’ Chanyeol inwardly thought as he took in Jongin’s peaceful sleep laden features. His blonde hair looked soft and shiny and it was long enough to just brush the tips of his thick eyelashes. The sun was rising into its noontime position in the sky and Chanyeol was more than glad that he chose a seat by the windows because the light seemed to make Jongin glow like an ethereal work of art.

  
Jongin murmured something in his sleep and Chanyeol panicked, thinking that he was waking up and would catch him staring at him, but Jongin sighed deeply as if he were burdened and he breathed out a name forlornly. “ _Sehun_ …”

  
Frowning, Chanyeol ignored the pang in his heart and he tried to piece together wat he knew about Jongin so he could figure out who Sehun was. (Damn, even his name had Chanyeol feeling annoyed)

  
_‘Okay, he said he left home because of someone, what could that mean?_ ’ Recalling their earlier conversation, Chanyeol remembered the sad expression on Jongin’s face as he told his reason for walking on the streets. But there was a brief moment when Jongin slipped up and he almost said something else, _“I-I just needed… a little break from my hus- someone, I promise that I didn’t run away from home hyung.”_

  
There it was! Jongin had a slightly panicked look in his eyes before he hastily corrected himself. Maybe it was this Sehun he didn’t want to see. From what he could tell, Sehun wasn’t a family member. The only word that fit with the beginning of Jongin’s slip up was husband, but Chanyeol considered Jongin’s age and he quickly dispelled that idea. _‘Jongin is too young to be married, he probably just got into an argument with a close friend or a…boyfriend.’_

  
Chanyeol scowled and he really hoped that the latter wasn’t the case, but another quick glance at Jongin had his hopes falling. There was no way that Jongin was single, he was too good to not be snatched up by someone else already. If so, then the lucky bastard who made Jongin distraught enough to accept coffee and food from a stranger was a bastard and Chanyeol hoped that Jongin would realize the guy wasn’t worth his time. ‘ _When he wakes up, I’ll ask who Sehun is and then as a good hyung would do of course, I’ll tell Jongin to leave him for good_!’

  
A loud crash and the sound of sudden yelling had Chanyeol jerking upright and looking outside in shock. “What the-”

  
“God damn it! The stupid police spikes almost took us out!” A short, youthful man shouted as he got out of the passenger seat of the silver car smashed into a yellow parking pole. The entire front end was crushed in and smoke was steadily raising a stream from the finished engine.

  
The front door opened and an old man gracefully hopped off the car. He adjusted his coat and then reached up with a withered and to push thick white locks of hair back into place. “Sir, I believe we are near a garage, if we hurry along, we may be able to move on before Detective Zhang and officer Huang catch up to us.”

  
The first man nodded and he looked thoughtful but his expression changed to one of annoyance when another man cracked opened a door in the back seat and stumbled out on to the sidewalk with an unsteady gait. He put a hand on his forehead then he frantically began patting himself down, his expression panicked. “Oh my god! I thought I was gonna die!” He shouted, his face slowly flushing in anger. “What the hell is wrong with you!? We could have died in that stupid car chase! Did you really have to-”

  
“JONGINNIE!” The first man shouted, looking in Chanyeol’s direction and focusing on Jongin’s now stirring form. He bounded across the street and he looked relieved to see the blonde was safe.

  
Chanyeol gently nudged Jongin awake and he gestured vaguely to the man running in their direction. “Hey, do you know him?”

  
Jongin yawned and tiny tears formed at the corners of his eyes. Blearily, he rubbed at them and Chanyeol wanted to take a picture, it was so adorable. “Oh, dad found me.”

  
“DAD!?” Chanyeol screeched, his voice echoing in the quaint café. He gaped at the small man now entering the shop and striding toward Jongin as if he had him locked in his sights. No matter how he looked at him, the man looked as if he were Jongin’s age.

  
Jongin jumped up in his seat and shuffled across Chanyeol’s lap to get to the other man. Feeling Jongin’s closeness, Chanyeol almost died of cardiac arrest, but he controlled himself and watched as Jongin and his dad nearly jump into each other’s embrace.

  
“Jongin! You had me so worried for you! Why did you not tell me you were going anywhere!? I could have had Chen escort you around town if that was what you wanted.” The man practically whined as he clung onto his son and refused to let go.

  
Jongin nodded and he looked close to tears. “I promise not to do this again daddy, I was just so-”

  
“Jongin!” The irate man from earlier shouted, his tall form filling the entryway of the café before he stepped up to Jongin. “I’m glad you’re alright! I didn’t mean to hurt you yesterday-”

  
Jongin slunk out of his dad’s embrace and he seemed to hunch over as he turned to face the new man. “It’s fine Sehun, I just…need some time to myself. Sorry for making everyone worry.” He apologized, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater.

  
Sehun sighed and he ran a hand through his thick black hair. “No, it’s fine! You don’t need to apologize to me! I just wanted to apologize for yesterday, I wasn’t in my right mind and I didn’t mean for anything to happen.”

  
Jongin nodded and he looked dejected, yet understanding. Chanyeol noted that he seemed as if he expected it. “I know, it was a mistake right?”

  
“No, that’s not-”

  
Chanyeol heard enough from Sehun and he glared at him while he stood up, sidling up to Jongin’s side. He was pleased to see that he was taller than Sehun, even if he was just so. “Jongin, do you mind introducing hyung to everyone?” He asked, trying to get the gloomy expression off Jongin’s face.

  
Sehun frowned at the close term and he wondered why Jongin hadn’t ever called him hyung. _‘I wouldn’t mind if he did…’_

  
Jongin shook himself off and he smiled tentatively. “Right, hyung, this is my dad Kim Minseok, our chauffer Charles,” Jongin motioned to Minseok then he waved at the driver from outside, beaming when the older man waved back while talking on his phone.

  
Sehun waited impatiently and while it was childish, he wanted Jongin to introduce him to the giant _first_.

  
Jongin hesitated and his smile dimmed when he looked back at Sehun, but he politely gestured between him and Chanyeol. “And this is Sehun. Everyone, meet my hyung Park Chanyeol.”

  
Chanyeol had a brittle smile aimed in Sehun’s direction and he graciously offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.” Sehun grit his teeth at the disdainful light in Chanyeol’s eyes and the obvious fake smile in his expression as he took his hand and gripped it tightly. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, _Chanyeol_.” They glared at one another for a few moments, each tightening their grip on one another’s hand until they both felt the circulation cut off.

  
“Move brat,” Minseok growled as he shoved Sehun aside and took his place in front of Chanyeol. He eyed the much taller red head up and down critically. “Alright boy, how did you meet my angel, and what exactly are your intentions toward him? I saw you two looking cozy from the little seat by the window.” Minseok’s eyes narrowed and he glared up at Chanyeol. “Are you thinking about _creeping_?”

  
Chanyeol blushed a bright red and he shook his head rapidly. “N-no sir! I wasn’t! Jongin was j-just tired and I offered him my shoulder so that he didn’t have to sleep on the dirty seat.”

  
Sehun gaped at him in surprise and he shot an incredulous glance between Chanyeol and Jongin. ‘ _What!? Jongin was leaning on him!?’_ Aside from the night they first met, Sehun hadn’t even had a chance to see Jongin when he slept. And if his instincts were correct, Jongin would look adorable while sleepy.

  
Jongin looked at his hyung in surprise, he didn’t remember it quite like that and he looked back at the table that he and Chanyeol previously occupied. ‘ _That doesn’t look comfortable!_ ’ He thought guiltily, noticing that Chanyeol’s back seemed slightly stiff.

  
Minseok crossed his arms. “You still didn’t answer my question, how did you two meet?”

  
Chanyeol stuttered and he seemed flustered by the question. “We m-met this morning….” ‘While I was following him into an alleyway like some strange stalker.’ He thought in embarrassment. Minseok appeared to be the protective type and if Chanyeol told him that, then he’d be sent to jail and charged for suspicious intent.

  
“I met him in this café, daddy.” Jongin interrupted. He saw Chanyeol’s conflicted expression and he decided to save the man from being hunted down by Chen. “W-we ordered the same dessert and we decided to get a table together!” He added quickly when Minseok turned his piercing gaze at him. “Chanyeol hyung was even nice enough to pay for me.”

  
Minseok immediately brightened and he clapped Chanyeol on the back in approval. “Well Chanyeol, it’s nice to make your acquaintance! Thank you for taking care of Jonginnie for me! It’s been hard on him lately, especially with this _insensitive dead beat_ strapped to him.” Minseok glared at Sehun when he said the last part.

  
“Hey! I make more money in a year than El Dorado does in a decade!” Sehun shouted back indignantly, resenting being called a dead beat.

  
“It looks like you have a handful with this one.” Chanyeol laughed and he sympathetically patted Minseok on the shoulder. “And you don’t have to thank me Sir, Jongin was more than a delight to have around.”

  
Minseok grinned and Sehun grudgingly admit that he found a bit of Jongin in it. That didn’t stop him from hating both him and the giant for his next words though. “Please, call me Minseok.”

  
Jongin beamed when Chanyeol and Minseok seemed to get along just fine and when the men began talking, he turned to see Sehun sulking by himself. ‘ _I should probably say something_ …’ he thought, knowing better than anyone that his father could be difficult at times. He remembered that Sehun was still technically on a business trip in a foreign country and Minseok acting rude would probably only serve to make him feel isolated and rejected.

  
Jongin frowned. He didn’t want Sehun to regret coming to Las Vegas, the town was really beautiful and he wanted Sehun to see that. So with that in mind, Jongin put aside his confusing and conflicting emotions to walk to Sehun’s side. “S-sehun, do mind if we go somewhere else? There’s something I want to s-show you…” He stuttered, blushing and becoming flustered when Sehun met his eyes in surprise. ‘ _Aish! Why did I say it that way!? It sounds like a date!’_ Jongin panicked and he now regretted his words.

  
_‘Did he just ask me to go somewhere with him!? Is this a dream_?’ Sehun thought as he stared at Jongin in disbelief. Jongin averted his gaze and the delicate red adorning his cheeks spread down to his neck. “N-never mind! You probably have more important things to do.” Jongin stuttered, turning on his heels to make a hasty escape from Sehun. ‘ _I can’t believe I just asked that! Of course he wouldn’t want to spend time with me! He already has-’_

  
Sehun saw Jongin turn away and before he could think about what he was doing, he reached out and grabbed Jongin by the wrist, stopping him from leaving again. “You’re not getting away this time!” Sehun said when Jongin looked up at him with wide brown eyes. The blonde’s lips fell open in surprise and he looked really cute. “So what place do you have in mind?” Sehun asked, feeling a little embarrassed that he said he wouldn’t let Jongin go. Wasn’t he trying to do that by getting a divorce?

  
Jongin glanced down at where Sehun’s hand was wrapped around his wrist and he felt his face grow warm in a fierce blush. “Well, we could-”

  
“SIR! We have to go now! Officer Huang has received reinforcements and our informant can no longer hold them back!” Charles interrupted with a shout. The crashed vehicle was cleaned up and the last of the wreckage was being put in the trunk of a discreet black car, a worker at El Dorado quickly shutting the trunk and nodding at Minseok before he got in the car and sped off.

  
Minseok cursed and the smile that he had on slipped into a scowl. “Damn kid, why is he so stubborn!?” He muttered under his breath as he headed to the door, Charles already having parked the newly delivered car in front of the quaint café. “Jongin, Sehun, get in the car.” He ordered, though he stopped to turn around again and shake Chanyeol’s hand with a pleased expression on his face. “It was nice speaking with you Chanyeol, but we must leave now. Bye!”

  
Sehun sighed and he felt disappointment settle within heavy within his gut. Just when things were looking up between him and Jongin, Minseok and Charles had to ruin everything. ‘ _See, this is why they should have listened to me! Racing my ass, that silver fox is a damn reckless driver and Minseok is a maniac!’_

  
Jongin watched a gloomy expression cross Sehun’s face at the mere thought of going back to El Dorado and he felt discontent. Not once has Sehun smiled or laughed too freely with Jongin or anyone since he got to Las Vegas. And aside from the day before, Jongin hadn’t really spent any time with his husband. The looming divorce made things complicated, but Jongin was more than sure that he at least wanted Sehun as a friend. Although it still would be nice to have his love….

  
_‘NO NO NO! Don’t go there_!’ Jongin scolded himself and he tried to throw away the inkling of hope he felt in his heart. Sehun would never stay for him or choose him over Luhan, so there was no point thinking of useless things like love.

  
“WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!” Minseok shouted from the car and he looked beyond irritated that Sehun was holding Jongin up.

  
Smiling sheepishly, Jongin tuned to his temporary husband and he shyly offered him his hand. “Sehun, should we go now?”

  
Sehun eagerly grabbed Jongin’s hand and when he passed by Chanyeol, he shot him a smug look. “Yeah Jonginnie, let’s go _home_.”

  
Chanyeol eyed their linked hands with a scowl and he felt his temper flare when Sehun passed by him with a gloating look on his face. ‘ _Tch, Jongin is too good for that bastard!’_

  
“Oh, wait Sehun!” Jongin called out, slipping his hand from the taller man’s hold so that he could dash back into the café. He ran to Chanyeol and he threw his arms around the surprised red head’s waist. “Bye hyung! Thank you for the food!” He chirped and he planted a little peck on his cheek before he whirled back around and pulled Sehun along with him to the car.

  
Shocked, Chanyeol watched him leave, Sehun frowning behind Jongin and looking stormy before the door slammed shut in his face and the car sped off.

  
“Huh,” Chanyeol finally breathed, his hand finally darting up to touch his tingling cheek. He felt hot and he was sure that his heart was beating faster than a hummingbird’s and that is something that never happened to him with such a simple kiss before. ‘ _Bye Jonginnie! I hope we meet again very soon!’_ He thought, his mind falling into a haze when he thought about the boy’s genuine smile and pretty eyes.

  
He would have probably stood there, daydreaming all day, but Chanyeol’s phone rang and he jumped at the sudden noise. “Aish, hold on-” He muttered, reaching into his pocket and fumbling for his phone.

  
“Hello this is-”

  
“ _Chanyeol! That bastard got away again! Can you believe that!? I spent five minutes in pursuit downtown and then some goon had the audacity to shoot out my tires! Who the hell does that to a cop car!!?”_

  
Chanyeol sighed and he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, the high tone voice was already giving him a headache. He missed Jongin and his more polite way of speaking, in fact he wished all his dongsaengs showed as much consideration as the blonde. “Tao, how many times are you going to let this guy get away? I’m sure it can’t be that hard to catch such a high class criminal, it’s taking him to court that’ll give you hell.”

  
Tao grumbled on the other end and Chanyeol could imagine his hand twitching to his gun. “ _Shut up hyung! Your lawyer talk gives me a headache!”_

  
Chanyeol’s brow twitched in irritation. “I give you a headache!? _You_ give _me_ a migraine!”

 

 


	7. Blood Runs Thicker Than Water

 

  
The room was sparsely decorated. A little poster of some old movie Chen never watched was hung up on one corner and he frowned when he noticed that Minseok had been in here recently, baby photos lined one edge of the wall and it gradually progressed to a little Jongin, then a Jongin who had a wide toothy smile, and then it stopped at the current Jongin. Though the current picture looked like one that was taken yesterday. Chen recognized the sweater and the messy brown hair.

  
‘ _Why the hell did I ever think playing poker was a good way to settle shit?_ ’ Chen thought in irritation, thinking of the first time Minseok shoved him in the little hidden room for _dramatic_ _effect_. Now he was stuck in the stuffy room for hours on end, just waiting for Minseok to call on him.

  
Chen scowled and took the photos off the wall, but he left all his favorites up. There was one of Jongin playing with a snarling dog that could give the Cerberus a run for his money, but somehow the toddler managed to tame him and make him revert into a harmless puppy. That didn’t stop the damn animal from chasing Chen up a tree where he was stuck hissing at it like a cat for hours. The asshole Minseok just took pictures and laughed at him, though Chen made sure to get him back, he always did.

  
Muffled voices could be heard on the other side of the sliding panel doorway and Chen frowned, using his left hand to press a button on the side of the door.

  
“ _We had an agreement! Your son was to join our family for the mutual benefit of both our companies!_ ” A man shouted, his English accented and Chen could hear faint mutterings in what he assumed to be Mandarin.

  
“ _We never signed an actual contract, everything was discussed informally and I refuse to let some disgruntled old man try to infringe on my business because he can’t saddle his son down with marriage just yet. Now leave while I feel merciful._ ” Minseok replied, his voice ice cold and leaving shivers running up and down Chen’s spine. He sounded like the old Minseok, the one who didn’t give a shit and followed his impulses.

  
_“….This is not the last you have heard of us. Our Boss will be very displeased and he will collect what is promised to him.”_

  
Minseok’s voice sounded furious. “ _Collect what is his!? I never agreed to give my son to his family as an object!”_

  
_“It’s a mutual exchange! We get marriage in for your new merge! We would be the new face of business in Las Vegas and you are the spine, working at the back and in the shadows.”_

  
_“I don’t need you! I’ve been fine running legitimately for ten fucking years! Hell, I could even pay off any lawyer if I needed to,_ ” Minseok shot back, his fist slamming on his desk. Chen could practically smell the fear radiating off the other two men in the room and he knew the look on Minseok’s face was nothing less than the embodiment of rancor.

  
 _“Well, last chance is now! Boss want answer and if we not get it, we force take action_.” Another voice spoke up and their English was choppy and way more broken than the man who first spoke.

  
Chen was up and sliding the paneling back before Minseok could even call for him. The two Chinese men looked shocked to see a man jump out of the secret door behind the desk, but they recovered and began reaching inside their suit jackets.

  
Minseok ducked down and Chen knew that his hand was slipping into the last drawer on his desk with practiced ease, reaching for the gun hidden away under fake paneling.

  
Chen drew one of his throwing knives and flung it back at the quicker of the two business men, the blade caught on his sleeve and his arm was pinned to the wall, dropping the gun in his hand.

  
The other one was quick to dive and his reflexes were pretty good because he got in a few shots at Chen before he ducked down at the desk with Minseok at his side. “Tch! Chinses bastards think they can just waltz in here and do whatever the fuck they want.” Minseok muttered darkly as he snapped a clip into his gun, loading it and flicking the safety off.

  
Once done, he quickly darted to the side of the desk and took aim. He shot two rounds and the screams of pain let Chen know that his boss hadn’t lost his touch in the least.

  
Standing up, Chen languidly made his way to the Chinese men, one was dead and the other was clutching his arm and writhing in pain. “Why’d you leave him alive Boss?”

  
Minseok dusted off his sleeve and he put his gun back into his desk, not bothering to spare the man he shot a single look. “Lao, tell your _fuck_ _face_ of a boss that if he thinks he can infringe on my territory, then he better buy an expensive plot at the cemetery because I don’t tolerate ex-military fuckers who think they’re tough because they stole some shit from the government.”

  
Chen frowned because his question was ignored, but he turned his attention to the Chinese man laid out in the floor. Lao was pretty young, and Chen was guessing that he was hot headed kid who insulted Minseok in broken English.

  
“You pay!” Lao panted, gritting his teeth against the onslaught of pain in his arm when Chen moved forward and stepped on his open wound with his booted foot.

  
Minseok raised an eyebrow at the kid, but Chen could recognize the little spark of respect in his eyes. Though that didn’t stop the boss from kicking the kid in the jaw and knocking him out.

  
Sighing, Minseok walked back to his desk and flopped back into his chair. “Why the hell are kids so rebellious and disrespectful these days?” He asked whined.

  
Chen shrugged and he stepped over the bodies in front of the door. He unlocked it and pushed it open, peeking his head out to search for the twins. When he spotted them, he waved them over and directed them to the mess in the office.

  
Picking up Lao, Jae looked at his brother in confusion. Jun shrugged at him. “Uhh, Boss? What do we do with the kid?” Jae finally ventured.

  
Stopped mid rant about the degenerate new generation, Minseok hummed thoughtfully. “Send him back to China wrapped in a box tied with a fancy ass bow or something.” He answered, waving a dismissive hand at Jun and Jae.

  
Once the door clicked shut behind the twins, Chen made himself comfortable in the little wooden chair placed in front of Minseok’s desk. The legs were sawed down so now Chen had to tilt his head up a little bit to see Minseok, but the mafia executioner took comfort in the fact that he was taller than his boss by a couple millimeters when standing.

  
“Hey Boss, do you really think it was a good idea to send them away like that?” Chen finally asked, thinking about the Chinses representatives of the powerful family in the other country. “We have power in the city, but they got connections in legitimate foreign business in every money making country in the world.”

  
Minseok huffed and his cheeks puffed with air that he expelled in a huge sigh. “I know, but we have one thing they don’t…” He looked thoughtful for a moment and his resulting smile made Chen shiver in memory of times when they were both hustling the streets and starting fights just to gain experience. “We are _above_ the law, those sell out bastards only focus on kissing the ass of the government.”

  
Chen furrowed an eyebrow and he tipped his chair onto the back legs, purposely placing his feet in front of Minseok’s face on the desk. “Yeah, but didn’t you just say that those kiss asses stole from the government?”

  
Minseok scowled and he slapped Chen’s feet off his desk, almost making him fall out of his chair onto the floor. “Shut up! I know what I said, but stealing and defying the government are two different fucking things!”

  
Chen blinked, “Okay, but what happens if they decide to just ask their government connections for help? I’m not sure El Dorado is worth enough for the Americans to fight a huge industrial country for us.”

  
Minseok groaned and he let his head fall onto his desk, his forehead making a solid thump as it met the solid wood. The mafia boss didn’t even flinch at the sting, but he did begin speaking again. “Ugh! Why do you have to choose now to start making sense and speaking coherently? Go out and start a fight or something and leave me alone.” He whined and Chen snorted at the muffled noises of complaint his boss made.

  
“Right, the one time I manage to point out a flaw in your logic and you want to get rid of me?” Chen nudged Minseok’s head to the side roughly with his foot.

  
“And I remember you telling me multiple times to stop going out at night ‘cause as you said ‘ _I’m tired of bailing your useless ass out of jail and cleaning up your messes. I’m your boss, you’re supposed to clean up after my shit!_ ’” Chen raised his voice to a high, wobbly lilt and it had Minseok lifting his head with a miffed expression on his face.

  
He looked ridiculous with the red mark on the middle of his forehead, but Chen decided to keep that little bit to himself. He still had scars from the time he teased a younger Minseok too much.

  
“Leave all the thinking to me! I know what I’m doing with the Chinese imperial bastards, so go out and fuck around or something.” Minseok said and his jaw set stubbornly. Chen sighed, Minseok wasn’t going to budge on his dealings with the Chinses businessmen, he would stand by Jongin and his doomed marriage even if it would cause a war in return.

  
Deciding to heed his boss’s dismissal, Chen let his chair fall back onto four legs and he stood up, languidly making his way to the door. But just before he was about to leave, he turned back to Minseok. “You know Boss, things would have been much simpler if you didn’t put Jongin before everything.”

  
Shutting the door before Minseok could so much as utter a curse, Chen made his way down the hall and descended the stairs leading up to the first floor of El Dorado. For all the years that he’d known Minseok, he’d been content to play the fool at his side, to let him be the leader even if he wasn’t out for the best interest of the business when Jongin came into consideration.

  
Honestly, Chen cared more about his job than he did anything else, including the kid he watched grow up. ‘ _Maybe it’s time to give Minseok an ultimatum…’_ Chen thought idly, walking out to the casino floor and weaving through the crowd of people betting all they had on an unsure thing. Luck was what Minseok had, along with charisma and a sharp mind, but Chen knew just as much as he did. Hell, he was the one left to take care of El Dorado while Minseok played around with his son. It wouldn’t be too difficult to stage a coup d’état.

  
He was there to witness its rise and he knew that El Dorado had so much more potential. But Minseok was distracted and while they made a pretty steady profit with the casino, they could make so much more if they went back to their old dealings in all things illegal.

  
 _‘Why did he want to make this a legitimate business anyway? Jongin grew up in this world, he doesn’t need to be protected from anything!’_ Chen thought indignantly, remembering the first argument that he and Minseok had in all the years they’d known each other. Sure they’d given each other shit before, but this time was different, Chen genuinely disagreed with the slow emergence of El Dorado into the light. In his mind, El Dorado was born in the mafia and he wanted it to stay a lawless place.

  
Shoving his way past a group of tourists, Chen walked back to a door marked **Staff** **Only**. Ignoring the sign, Chen practically kicked the door open. It led to a plain grey room and it was decorated like any other regular employee lounge, but there was a nondescript door at the back of the room and Chen pulled out a little key that hung in a chain around his neck. Unlocking the door and twisting the handle with practiced ease, Chen walked into the back room.

  
Jun and Jae had been there recently. The man Minseok killed earlier was neatly wrapped up in plastic and the tapped edges kept the bag sealed shut. There was wrapping paper scattered around the table the dead man was waiting on and Chen cracked a smile, a startled laugh making its way out of his mouth.

“Holy shit, those two really did wrap him up and stuff him in a box!” He wheezed out, kicking a nearby piece of tissue paper away with a laugh.

  
Jun and Jae probably finished up with Lao and decided to mail him off before they grabbed the dead man and drove him out to the middle of the desert just to bury him in a random area.

Slowly calming down, Chen wiped away the tears at the corner of his eye and with a final chuckle, he walked further into the room and grabbed a few things, stuffing them into his jacket before he opened the garage door of the cleaning room.

  
The opening was industrial sized and the large garage door was made of heavy steel that probably weighed a ton. It was a useful loading area for their more illicit shipments, which used to range from smuggled weapons and drugs to cadavers and incriminating evidence.

  
Once the garage door finished rolling all the way up with t a sharp beep, Chen was met with the familiar dark and gloomy sight of the underground garage. It was private and Minseok liked to keep an interchangeable collection of decoy cars down here. At the inner edge of the garage door was a wooden panel with little hooks. Keys were hung up on every hook and little labels written in Jae’s terrible scrawl in Hangeul were the names of the car the keys corresponded to.

  
Picking a random one, Chen closed the garage door behind him and pressed the unlock button on the remote. A sharp beep sounded within the dark garage and Chen smirked in triumph when he realized that he had the keys to the shiny new red Mustang.

  
Personally he didn’t like the look of the car, but he did like the speeds it could reach with little more than a purr. Humming a vague melody, Chen hopped into the driver’s seat of the car and started the machine with a practiced ease of someone who used to drag race for money.

  
Revving the engine just for the fun of it, Chen made himself comfortable and adjusted the seat, grudgingly scooting it closer to the wheel because he didn’t have grasshopper legs like Jongin. It was almost comical how Jongin shot up like a reed when he was thirteen, towering over Minseok easily. Chen teased the stupid dad about it endlessly until Minseok snapped and pointed out that Jongin was taller than him as well.

  
Fighting off a smile at the memory of how he got Minseok back, Chen reversed the car and pulled out of the parking spot in one smooth move. If Minseok had bothered to take Charles up on his offer to teach him how to drive, he wouldn’t endanger the lives of everyone within a 100 mile radius every time he got behind the wheel of a car.

  
Driving out of the garage and peeling out of the hotel driveway, Chen made it to the street and he unconsciously began following a route that would take him to see someone he never bothered to tell Minseok about. They both weren’t the type to talk about feelings and shit, but Minseok made exceptions for Jongin. Frankly he was like a stupid and trained puppy around Jongin.

  
The late afternoon sun made its way through the tinted windshield, but Chen wasn’t bothered by it at all. Outside the sun appeared to be roasting everyone unfortunate enough to walk and Chen loved that in the desert, one could see the heat shimmer and dissipate above the hot asphalt of the road.

  
Eventually the gaudily decorated streets of the Vegas strip gave way to towering apartments with cliché names like Sun Valley or Desert Gem. Speeding through it all, Chen only slowed down when huge suburban homes came into view. At the end of the block there was a single house that stood apart from the others, a good distance from the neighbors. The lawn was sloppily taken care of and the front door was decorated with a red painted wooden family crest. Scoffing at the sight of the pointed flower, he parked the car right on the lawn and he smirked at the thought of the look on his cousin’s face when he saw his precious grass crushed under the car tires.

  
Getting out and slamming the car door, Chen strolled up to the house door with a jaunty whistle and he kicked his dusty boots on the welcome mat. He rang the doorbell incessantly and waited, knowing that his cousin would be home after the car chase with his boss earlier in the day.

  
A loud muffled thump could be herd behind the door and Chen smirked cheekily, slamming his hand down on the doorbell and leaving it there.

  
“GOD DAMNIT!!” Someone screeched behind the door and the sound of locks sliding out of place accompanied the noise. “WHAT THE FUCK-!”

  
“Hey mutt,” Chen answered when the door finally wrenched open. A disheveled man stood before him and the usually charming smile on his handsome face was lost to a deep scowl that unfortunately didn’t bring out his dimples.

  
“Chen you little bastard!” He growled, his heavy lidded eyes wide open and blood shot as he ruthlessly slapped Chen’s hands away from the doorknob. The screeching doorbell finally fell silent and the man sighed in relief at the silence.

  
Chen kept his natural smile on his lips and he watched his cousin run an agitated hand through his curly blonde dyed locks. His hair looked soft and fluffy and Chen could imagine dog ears on top of his head.

  
Glaring at the intruder, the man spoke. “What the hell do you want? I was trying to take a nap after you sent me on a wild goose chase earlier you stupid cat incarnation.”

  
Chen’s lips remained curled at the edges and he smirked genuinely when he saw his feline smile had the desired effect. “Nothing mutt, can’t a man visit his only family in a land thousands of miles away from home?”

  
The blonde snorted. “ _Family_? That is an ideal that’s not held up at all by the stupid old crones back home.”

  
Chen laughed, “Are you still sore about your mixed blood mutt?”

  
“Will you stop calling me that!? It has nothing to do with my blood, I got over that insult years ago.” The man replied and he let Chen into his house, although he slapped the back of his cousin’s head with a quick swipe.

  
“Why not? Mutt is the perfect word to describe you, with your dirty blood and uncanny ability to sniff out shit.” Chen answered crossly, rubbing the back of his head.

  
“Hey! Just because I’m a detective doesn’t mean that I-”

  
Chen waved him off. “Shut it Detective Zhang, I came to talk business.” He waltzed into the living room and he plopped down on the comfortable blue couch set in the middle of the room. “All things aside, I have a proposition for you, Yixing. I think it’s something that you’ll _love_ to hear.”

 

 

 

 

 


	8. *SeKai Side Chapter* Now I See City Lights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this piece of fluff because I went to the State fair a while ago, it was awesome ♡
> 
> This doesn't really fit in with the main story line, so think of it as a side chapter!

 

  
Sehun sighed and he rolled onto his side in his too-large bed. This had never bothered him before, but after the excitement of the afternoon and the hectic activity of the morning, Sheun was tired. Yet his body was full of pent up energy and he was restless.

  
After Charles had dropped them off at a discreet back entrance to the hotel and then sped off to lure the police away, Minseok had grabbed Jongin and then practically spirited away. Sehun was left alone again and he felt left out. Jongin wanted to spend time with him, but somehow it seemed as if everyone was conspiring to keep them apart.

  
Alone in his room, Sehun had done nothing other than check his phone for any messages. There was a few from Luhan and he answered those with a quick reply. There was a voicemail and Sehun scowled and threw his phone across the room because the old man who demanded to see him in Las Vegas called to say he was going to be held up at work for a week. Sehun had nothing to do until he arrived and aside from already seeing Las Vegas’ pride and joy, El Dorado, he was more than ready to go home.

  
Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon because he needed to find a lawyer not paid off by Minseok to divorce him and Jongin. ‘ _Damn, the shit doesn’t stop piling up!’_ He thought in irritation as he let out a little frustrated growl.

  
Someone knocked on the door and Sehun cursed, he just got comfortable. Getting up, he swung his legs off the bed and his socked feet made no noise in the plush carpet. _‘It better not be Minseok or I swear I’ll lose my mind_!’ Sehun thought as he opened the door.

  
“Oh,” He breathed in surprise, seeing Jongin standing before him. He looked freshly showered and he changed out of his sweater and was now wearing a loose wine colored V-neck shirt and black designer jeans.

  
“H-hi,” Jongin said, waving his hand a bit before he let it fall. He bit his lip and he blushed when he peeked up at Sehun. “Do you still want to go somewhere with me? I have the perfect place in mind!” He said brightly, sounding as if he practiced saying that in a mirror.

  
Sehun blinked and he cast a sheepish look at his comfortable clothing. Jongin was dressed up in something that drew Sehun’s attention to the color of his lips and here he was, wearing old sweatpants and a shirt from his university days. “Yeah! Um, come inside while I get dressed.” He said as he opened the door wider and stepped aside.

  
“Thank you,” Jongin looked relieved that he didn’t turn him away and he cautiously moved past Sehun and went to sit on the expensive sofa. He was a little tired after his dad dropped him off for his dance lessons. He’d barely had enough time to shower and change before he came to see Sehun.

  
When Jongin passed him, Sehun caught the faint smell of peaches and cinnamon and he hoped that his face wasn’t red, but considering his complexion, there was no way he was that lucky. Clearing his throat and shaking off his not so innocent thoughts, Sehun shut the door and quickly scrambled to get dressed, not wanting to keep Jongin waiting and chancing another interruption.

 

-♔-

 

Jongin nervously stole a glance at Sehun when they reached the gates of the Nevada state fair. It took place every year in fall for three weeks. Jongin and his father made it a tradition to come here every year and while the fair wasn’t overtly large or extravagant, being outdone by the showy casinos and night clubs in the area, Jongin was sure that it was fun.

  
Though what he considered a good time could be different from what Sehun thought was fun. Jongin fidgeted and he shuffled in place, wishing that he were old enough to maybe take Sehun somewhere else, like a club.

  
“W-we can go somewhere else if you’d rather n-not do this!” Jongin suddenly said, drawing Sehun’s attention away from the ticket booth. The older male looked at Jongin and he sighed before he smiled wryly and ruffled Jongin’s blonde hair. It was early evening now and the heat of the day was slowly starting to cool, the perfect time to be outside in Sehun’s opinion. With skin as fair as his, he was more than an enemy with the sun, a result of countless painful sunburns.

  
“Jongin, let’s go,” Sehun said, turning around and grabbing the blonde’s hand so that he couldn’t escape from him again. “I want to get a spot in line early!” He reasoned aloud, feeling content and embarrassed at the same time. He shouldn’t be taking liberties with Jongin, but he found that despite whatever happened, Jongin still made him feel comfortable and close with him.

  
Flushing, Jongin stared at their linked hands. His eyes darted about shyly and he noticed that there seemed to be a lot of couples in the fair. ‘ _Ah, why did I come here?!_ ’ Jongin thought, feeling mortified when the worker at the ticket booth gave him and Sehun a knowing look.

  
“A pair of couple admission tickets?” She asked, her eyes glinting when she saw them holding hands. “We have a discount for all couples this evening, there’s even a drawing that the fair is hosting that will give one free room at El Dorado to a lucky pair!”

  
Sehun frowned and he hastily dropped Jongin’s hand. “Oh, uhm w-we’re not a couple!” He protested, waving his hands in front of himself as if he were trying to dispel the assumption.

  
Jongin meekly nodded along and he hid the small pang of sadness in his heart with a placating smile. “Sorry, we’ll take two individual tickets, I-I’ll pay!”

  
The lady raised a brow and she eyed their matching wedding rings suspiciously.

  
Sehun ignored the lady and he faced Jongin with a stern expression. “I’ll pay Jongin. You didn’t have to go out of your way to keep me company today, so it’s the least I could do.” Sehun said, Minseok’s voice echoed in his head, the reaped words _insensitive dead beat_ making him feel the need to prove the mafia boss wrong.

  
Jongin shook his head and his hair flew into his eyes, the soft blonde locks appearing to glint like gold in the evening light. “No Sehun! I’m the one who invited you here, It’d be rude to not pay-  _HEY_!”

  
“Thank you, have fun!” The lady chirped and Sehun smirked at Jongin as he slipped his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans, the sleeves of his white shirt bunching around his elbows and drawing tight across his chest with the movement. “Let’s go inside, I already paid and it’d be a waste if we didn’t see all that this place has to offer.” Sehun said, the smug look on his face making Jongin pout at him.

  
“That’s not fair! I was-”

  
“Alright, the next time we go out, I’ll let you pay.” Sehun interrupted, smiling and leaning down to meet Jongin’s eyes from a closer distance. “You can even think of it as an exchange.”

  
Huffing, Jongin brushed past Sehun and entered the gate, stopping by the second worker holding out a lazy hand for the admission ticket. “Well Sehun are you coming or not?” He asked cheekily, a playful glint in his eyes.

  
Sehun smiled and he rushed to Jongin’s side, handing the tickets off and entering the fair with wide eyes. There was so much to do, booths lined every end of a paved pathway and he could faintly hear the distant sound of screams and roaring music. A quick look up confirmed Sehun’s suspicions, there were rides.

  
“Hey Jongin, what’s the scariest and most dangerous roller coaster here?” Sehun asked eagerly, feeling excited at promise of a rush of adrenaline in his bloodstream.

  
Jongin hesitantly stepped beside him and he pointed to a packed walkway to their left. “I-It’s over there, the rides are all in one area a-and the most popular one is called X.” Jongin watched Sehun’s face and he gulped when he looked in the direction of the rides. He could see one that raised high into the sky and then dropped its riders down so quickly that they don’t have time to scream until the ride slowed to a stop near the ground. ‘ _I hope he doesn’t expect me to get on the roller coaster with him_!’ Jongin thought apprehensively as slight fear set in.

  
“Let’s go on X!” Sehun suggested, grabbing Jongin’s hand again and pulling him toward the rides in unconcealed excitement.

  
Jongin gulped and he tightened his hold on Sehun’s hand. He stared wide eyed as the moving rides came into view, each one brightly lit despite the last of the evening rays still shining brightly over the fair. Screams echoed off of a ride that swooped up into a loop and then dropped down to a dark tunnel. ‘ _Oh my god! That one moves upside down_!’ Jongin thought in horror.

  
Sehun didn’t bat an eye at any of the rides, in fact he only stopped when he stood before one dangerous looking contraption. It was titled ‘X’ and Jongin paled at the imposing picture the simple ride made. It was tall, at least more than a few hundred feet tall and it had two moving parts. It looked like two adjacent ladders pinned together, but the parts changed speed and when they crossed paths the machine made a signature X silhouette in the air.

  
Sehun ignored the line and he made a beeline straight for the front. A few people mumbled complaints, but no one did anything other than give Sehun a dirty look. The attendant on hand looked like he didn’t care, but when Sehun went to pay admission for he and Jongin, he raised an expectant brow.

  
Sehun slapped an additional twenty on the guy’s palm, looking a little sour. The attendant merely smirked in return and he pocketed the tip, placing the rest of the money in a little box bolted to the operating panel of the ride.

  
They were close enough to the ride now to feel the force of the wind dispelled by the spinning parts and Jongin flinched when shrill screams pierced his ear drums. ‘ _Nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to happen, nothing is going to happen!_ ’ He chanted mentally and he took comfort in Sehun, who’s larger hand was still clutching his in a tight grasp.

  
Stealing a glance at Sehun, Jongin noticed the way his face lit up in awe and his eyes were practically shining with stars at X. ‘ _I can’t ruin that_ …’ Jongin thought, nodding to himself and steeling his nerves. He was going to get on the ride and he was going to pretend to like it for Sehun’s sake.

  
So when the operator stopped the ride and unloaded the old patrons, Jongin stepped up and followed Sehun with small steps. Moving close to the ride, he felt as if he were walking onto the edge of a cliff. But Jongin entered the little caged seat and he shakily moved his hands to buckle himself in tightly, he wasn’t taking any chances. Unfortunately his fingers kept slipping and Sehun was kept waiting, along with the ride operator and those waiting in line behind him.

  
“Here, let me,” Sehun murmured and before Jongin could even think, Sehun was pressing in close to him and his hands were drifting to his waist, taking the seatbelt from his hands and smoothly clicking the buckle into place. The smell of his cologne filled Jongin’s head with thoughts of moonlight nights and a strength that he associated with masculinity.

  
When he finally pulled away and settled in the seat next to Jongin, the blonde shook his head and tried to focus on something else. This was a mistake, because as soon as Sehun sat down, the operator turned on the ride and it pitched high into the sky. Jongin could do nothing more than hold tightly onto the handlebars bolted to the caged doors in front of him. His knuckles turned white with the force of it and Jongin bit the inside of his cheek, keeping the scream building inside trapped.

  
The ride lurched forward again and Sehun whooped in excitement. Jongin felt his stomach drop as the roller coaster began moving and he screwed his eyes shut, hoping that he didn’t die over a hundred feet in the air.

 

-♔-

 

When the ride stopped, Jongin unbuckled the seat belt with a haste that he didn’t have putting it on earlier. Surprised, Sehun watched as the blonde stumbled off the ride and flew down the exit stairs. “Jongin, wait!” Sehun called and he cursed, unbuckling his seatbelt and chasing after his temporary husband.

  
Jongin ignored Sehun, but he did stop at a private bench and he sat down, placing his head in his hands and covering his face. Sehun caught up to him and he was shocked to see his shoulders shaking. Cautiously taking a seat next to the younger male, Sehun gently rested a hand on his shoulder. “Jongin? Are you alright?” He asked.

  
Jongin was still trembling and covering his face, but he did nod. “I’m fine Sehun…” He mumbled, though his words were muffled by his hands. Sehun also noted that he sounded choked up.

  
“I don’t believe you,” Sehun replied and he grasped Jongin’s wrists in a firm one handed grip. “Jongin, look at me.” He ordered when the blonde resisted and tried to keep his face covered. But he eventually relented and when his hands were pulled away, he turned his head away from Sehun.

  
Sighing, Sehun used his free hand and he put it under Jongin’s chin and he tilted his face up to his. Small tears dripped from the corner of Jongin’s eyes and his lips were pulled into a sad frown. Sniffling, Jongin tried to look away again, but Sehun didn’t relent.

  
“Jongin!? Why’re you crying, did something happen?” Sehun asked, his hands letting him go in favor of fluttering over his form and checking for any injuries.

  
Jongin waved his hands away and he tried to smile placatingly, but the effect was ruined by his trembling form and his tears. “I’m okay Sehun, I w-was just….” Sehun gave him a skeptical look and Jongin let out a little self-depreciating chuckle and wiped his eyes. “I’m a c-crybaby aren’t I? I c-can’t even step foot on a roller coaster w-without getting scared!” Jongin felt more tears fall from his eyes and he didn’t dare to look up to see Sehun’s reaction. ‘ _He’s probably bothered by me, I’m such a child!_ ’

  
Sehun frowned and he shuffled closer to Jongin, hoping to find some way of comforting him, but Jongin sniffled one more time and took a deep breath as he stood up. “I-I’m fine now, we should go, people are beginning to stare- _ah_!”

  
Before Jongin could even think about giving Sehun another painful smile and act as if he weren’t about to cry again, Sehun grabbed him by the wrists and pulled him back down onto the bench, not minding at all when the blonde lost his balance and fell into his lap with a surprised squeak.

  
“You’re not a crybaby and you don’t have to pretend to be brave when you’re not,” He whispered and the sensation of his soft breath left Jongin’s ear tingling with warmth. “I’m sorry Jongin, I didn’t know you were scared and I made you go on the ride with me.” Sehun continued and he tightened his arms around Jongin’s waist when he felt him squirming. “I promise that as long as I’m here, I won’t make you cry again.” Sehun declared and he leaned his head down to the junction of Jongin’s neck and shoulder, breathing in his scent and indulging his own selfish whims. He didn’t know why he made that promise, he wasn’t even sure that he could keep it since he’d done nothing but hurt Jongin since he came to Las Vegas. 

 _'But, I can’t stand to see him cry…_ ’ Sehun thought with an annoyed huff at himself. He didn’t want to hurt Jongin, but he couldn’t stay by his side forever, there was Luhan to consider.

  
While Sehun was thinking, Jongin was panicking internally. ‘ _Oh my god! He’s touching me, he’s holding me_! _What do I do?!_ ’ Jongin thought with a flush, ducking his head when people cast them curious looks as they walked by. Jongin’s heart was beating out of his chest and when Sehun made that promise, he softened and he felt warmth spread throughout his chest, replacing his fear and his shame.

  
Jongin was sure that he was blushing redder than a tomato by now, but he couldn’t help it. Sehun had made him a promise and he wasn’t annoyed at Jongin for being scared of the roller coaster, and he didn’t mind that Jongin had embarrassed them both by crying in public. ‘ _He even apologized!?_ ’ Jongin thought and he frowned, opening his mouth and turning to Sehun to tell him that he didn’t have to apologize because Jongin was the one who chose not to say anything about his fears. But as he moved to do so, Sehun leaned his head down and he buried his face in Jongin’s neck.

  
Surprised, Jongin froze and he felt Sehun’s huff of warm air hit the sensitive skin behind his ear. Shivering, Jongin bit his lip and held in a little sound, he was sure that moaning in public would be more embarrassing than any of the crying he’d done a moment ago.

  
Sehun sighed and he breathed in Jongin’s comforting scent, finding the sugary sweet smell emanating off of him addicting. ‘ _Wait, how long have we been like this?_ ’ Sehun stilled and he felt Jongin shift again, his rounded bottom moving and rubbing against his thighs and his-

  
“I-I think we should go find something to eat!” Sehun stuttered, standing up abruptly and disturbing Jongin, almost making him fall back to the ground in a heap. Luckily, Sehun was fast enough to grab his hand, balance him, and then drag him off in a random direction away from the rides at the fair.

  
Surprised, Jongin could do nothing but hold onto Sehun’s hand and try to walk fast enough to keep up, but it was so difficult! ‘ _Why does Sehun have to have such long legs?_ ’ Jongin thought with a pout when he almost tripped, it only mean that he had to walk faster to make up for the height difference.

  
Secretly, Jongin wasn’t bothered by this at all, he outgrew his father and Chen when he was young and Jongin missed not having to look down to talk to someone. Sehun’s broad frame made him feel safe and small and that was something that he sorely missed.

  
While Jongin was thinking, Sehun stopped suddenly and Jongin bumped into his back, hitting his nose with a small _oomph_!

  
“Sehun, why are we stopping?” Jongin ventured when he recovered, rubbing his nose and looking up to see Sehun turn to him with a delicate pink blooming across the top of his cheekbones.

  
“I, uh…don’t know where to go from here…” Sehun admitted, rubbing the back of his head and ruffling the wind-blown black locks in sheepishness.

  
Jongin blinked, then he looked around and he stared back up at Sehun before he finally let out a giggle. Sehun’s embarrassment was obvious and he looked adorable with the lost expression on his face. He’d led them back to the entrance of the fair and aside from stalls that held trinkets, they couldn’t see any food anywhere, Sehun was lost.

  
Sehun pouted when Jongin’s giggles turned into a real laugh, but he couldn’t help the way the corner of his lip struggled to curl up. When Jongin laughed, his eyes crinkled into crescents, his shapely lips stretched into a grin, and he glowed with happiness.

  
“S-Sehun, why did you drag me around the place if you didn’t know where you were going?” Jongin asked when he finally calmed down, though he had a teasing glint in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his face.

  
Sehun’s pale skin turned a darker shade of pink. _‘I can’t tell him that it’s because I was enjoying him sitting in my lap too much_!’ He panicked and he avoided Jongin’s inquisitive eyes. “I, uhm, was just getting really hungry and I thought I smelled from coming from this direction!” The lie slipped off his tongue quickly and he visibly relaxed when Jongin smiled and nodded, accepting his words without a single question.

  
“Okay, I know a really good place!” Jongin said excitedly and this time he was the one to take Sehun’s hand and pull him into the thick of the crowed fair walkway. His grip only tightened on Sehun when people bumped into them from all sides, but Sehun didn’t mind at all, in fact he liked the way Jongin’s smaller hand held onto his as if he’d never let go.

  
The place Jongin had in mind made Sehun feel like the greasiest person earth. All the food served at the food stall was deep fried and shoved on a stick and it was a challenge for Sehun to not compulsively wipe down his food with a napkin before he ate.

  
They ordered a special on the menu and it consisted of two corn dogs, ribbon fries, and fried ice cream along with one large shared drink. ‘ _Another couple’s special.’_ Sehun thought and he quickly paid for the food while Jongin was distracted watching the cook fry the ice cream without melting it.

  
Once the food was done, Jongin grabbed his share and he made a beeline for the tables, picking on that was set in the shade, although it wasn’t really necessary now because the sun had started to dip just below the horizon.

  
Sitting down next to Jongin, Sehun picked at his food and watched Jongin eat as if he were the one to declare he was hungry earlier. It was usually considered awkward to watch someone eat, but Sehun found with surprise that Jongin managed to make the entire process look cute and endearing. First he’d take a bite of his food, then he’d hum in appreciation as he chewed delicately and swallowed.

  
“Hey Sehun, why aren’t you eating? I thought you were hungry?” Jongin interrupted, his sentence making Sehun jump. Seeing his confident husband startle so easily, Jongin tilted his head and he looked up at Sehun in confusion, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his dark brown eyes. ‘ _Does he not like the food?’_ Jongin thought and he looked down at his plate with regret, he should have asked what Sehun wanted, but he was so used to coming to this stand. Minseok loved savory fried foods, even though he claimed that all the fat went to his cheeks and made him look like a kid.

  
Sehun saw Jongin’s expression drop and he quickly waved his hands in front of him. “No, no! Don’t worry, I was just thinking. I _am_ really hungry,” He began eating and the food wasn’t so bad, if one got over the greasy undertones. Sehun was used to less cheap food, but Jongin seemed to enjoy it very much, so he set aside his fastidious tendencies and stuffed his face.

  
Jongin beamed at him and he turned back to his food, his petite hand darting out to take a curl of ribbon fries. The single tray was set in between them and Sehun didn’t have to look around to know that the other couples were lovingly feeding each other and sharing their food and drinks while making eyes at their lover. ‘ _Aish, this would have been less awkward if we arrived on a different day!_ ’ Sehun thought, fighting down a blush when he noticed that Jongin had moved onto desert and was getting little drops of melted white ice cream on his lips. Very not so innocent thoughts filtered through his head and he felt his face heat up when an oblivious Jongin darted his tongue out and licked up the ice cream on his lips. But instead of helping, the ice cream dripped onto his fingers and Jongin didn’t hesitate to lick it up, even going so far as to suck the sweet ice cream off his index finger.

  
_‘I’ve died and gone to hell,_ ’ Sehun decided with his eyes glued to the lascivious sight, but then Jongin looked up at him and the evening light made his honeyed skin light up with a soft hue of gold. It rivaled his smile in terms of making Sehun’s heart skip a beat and stutter within his rib cage. ‘ _Never mind, this is heaven_.’

 

-♔-

 

It was inevitable. They were at a fair and things like this had little games one could play for a certain price. Of course it was up to luck what happened next—Winning a stuffed toy.

  
“Oh look Sehun, they have _Pikachu_!” Jongin shouted, his eyes lighting up when he caught sight of the giant yellow stuffed Pokémon.

  
Sehun made a noncommittal noise, but Jongin didn’t notice. He was too busy running up to the stand and listening to the man explaining the rules.

  
“Alright everyone, step up and win! A prize for every successful balloon popped, if you make five shots in a row, you get a free large prize!” The man gestured to the giant stuffed plushies tied to the top of the stand. Behind him at the stand were boards with balloons tied down to it. A little basket of darts was set up on the counter and Sehun could see a red tape line set up a few feet away from the stand.

  
“Hey sir, you look like the type to know a thing or two about winning,” The man called out, gesturing to Sehun. “Why don’t you give this a try and win something for this cutie?” He asked, his eyes darting to Jongin with a small smile. The latter didn’t notice anything because he was too busy cooing at the stuffed Pikachu with wide eyes.

  
Sehun couldn’t help smiling at the sight, he looked like he really wanted it, which surprised Sehun because he didn’t think the son of a mafia boss would ever have to want for anything. So with newly steeled resolve, Sehun stepped up to the game stand and he paid for a round of five darts.

  
Jongin cheered him on from the side, but that just put all the pressure on Sehun. He’d never been good at any of these games. When he was a kid, Sehun used to make it his mission to at least win one prize, but he couldn’t even get a stuffed toy from the claw machine that played the most obnoxious music ever.

  
Picking up a red dart, Sehun felt the weight and he gauged the distance between him and the balloon decorated board. He was around five feet from it, if the stand was included as well.

  
‘ _Please work!’_ Sehun thought, looking at the dart one last time, for luck he reasoned. Taking a deep breath, Sehun drew his arm back and he shut his eyes when he flung it forward.

  
The sound of a loud pop followed by a solid thump and Jongin’s cheer led Sehun to opening his eyes in shock. “One down, four to go!” The man running the stand cheered. He didn’t seem too worried about Sehun winning a prize.

  
“You can do it Sehun, I believe you!” Jongin shouted and Sehun didn’t have to look to know that he was wearing a smile that lit up his pretty face with a soft glow.

  
Picking up another dart, Sehun threw it up in the air and caught it again. He let the weight of the dart comfort him and once again, Sehun shut his eyes when he aimed and threw the dart.

  
Another pop came as a surprise to Sehun and he had to open his eyes to see the flared tip of the red dart sticking out of the wooden board, the plastic remains of a balloon pinned under the pointed tip.

  
“Two out of five, you’re getting close!” The man bellowed and a small crowd began gathering to watch.

  
Feeling more confident within himself, Sehun grabbed another dart and this time he kept his eyes open to watch the balloon pop. A cheer erupted from the little crowd and Sehun could make out Jongin’s excited chatter, as if he subconsciously sought out the blonde’s approval.

  
“Sehun, you could win one of the large prizes!” Jongin shouted, his voice rising in pitch with excitement and his eyes sparking in exhilaration.

  
“Two more chances!” The man shouted out, holding up two fingers and addressing the crowd, trying to get more people to spend money winning a prize. “It’s just ten dollars for five chances, everyone’s a winner! Hit a balloon with all five darts and you’ll receive a big prize!”

  
Sehun ignored him and he picked up another dart, although when he threw this dart it almost missed its mark. The crowed ‘ _oohed_ ’ and Sehun felt the familiar apprehension fill his body. He couldn’t lose with Jongin watching, he wanted to be able to give him something that he wanted without spending money. He had a feeling that Jongin appreciated things with more sentimental value than monetary value.

  
Seeing Sehun’s conflicted and determined expression, Jongin gingerly made his way to his side and he tugged on his sleeve. Sehun looked back at him and he fought down a blush, trying to keep his words clear. “S-Sehun, I want to wish you luck,” He murmured shyly and Sehun watched curiously as Jongin lifted his hand.

  
Sehun let his palm unfurl and Jongin quickly shut his eyes before he leaned down and let his lips meet Sehun’s palm in a little kiss. Sehun stilled in shock and Jongin peeked up at him through his thick eyelashes with wide chocolate colored eyes. “ _Good luck, Sehun._ ”

  
Jongin grew flustered after that and he darted back from Sehun, not meeting his eyes and averting his gaze to his feet. Sehun could see the red tips of his ears and though Jongin was covering his face with his hands, he knew that his face was flushed a bright red as well.

  
Feeling a silly grin split his face, Sehun picked up the last dart and curled his fingers around it, the phantom feeling of Jongin’s lips still on his palm. ‘I will win!’ Sehun thought and he didn’t hesitate to throw the last dart, feeling as if he had all the luck in the world and more because Jongin believed in him.

  
“ _Aaanndd_ that’s five in a row! You’re a winner!” The man running the stand shouted and amidst the clapping and cheering of the crowd around him, Sehun whirled around and grabbed Jongin, pulling him into a celebratory hug.

  
“I did it! Jongin, I _won_!” Sehun yelled and he squeezed Jongin in his arms, burying his face into his mess of blonde hair. Jongin’s arms wound around his neck and he squeezed Sehun into the hug, welcoming him into his arms happily. Sehun was more than a little incredulous that he won a game, he’d never won one before and it was the bane of his childhood.

  
Jongin lost himself and he couldn’t help but allow himself to be swept up by an enthusiastic Sehun. This was a new side to his husband that he’d never seen before and it made him happy to see the too serious twenty-five year old revert to a child.

  
“Hey, hey, leave the celebrating for home!” The stand owner shouted, the people in the crowd hooting at the innuendo.

  
Realization dawned on Sehun and he quickly pulled away from Jongin with an apology poised on his tongue. But before he could open his mouth, the stand owner interrupted again.

  
“Pick your prize! I’m sure that a _special_ _someone_ wanted this-” He pointed out the large stuffed Pikachu toy and Sehun couldn’t get a word in otherwise before the man was taking the stuffed toy down and handing it to him.

  
The Pokémon was nearly as tall as him and Sehun pushed down the twinge of embarrassment holding the toy long enough to pass it on to Jongin.

  
“Sehun, what-?” Jongin protested, the toy easily dwarfing him. He shuffled it in his hold and his head peeked over the toy’s shoulder, his blonde hair endearingly ruffled from the action.

  
“It’s because of you that I won, so you should take the prize.” Sehun reasoned and he couldn’t resist ruffling Jongin’s hair and making it stick up even more.

  
Jongin huffed, “But I didn’t do anything!”

  
Sehun smirked at him and he leaned down toward him, bringing his lips right next to his ear. “Then what was the good luck kiss for?”

  
Jongin blushed and Sehun could tell he was becoming flustered. “W-well, that’s n-nothing! I-I do that all the t-time for daddy!”

  
Sehun pulled back from Jongin and he hummed in disbelief, raising an eyebrow at him. “So you don’t want to keep this?” He asked, gesturing to the giant Pikachu in his arms.

  
Jongin fell silent and he shifted the toy in his arms so that the Pokémon faced him, its large plastic eyes meeting his. “I-I didn’t say that…It’s just-”

  
“Jongin, if you don’t take him, no one else will. Then he’ll be sad and alone, collecting dust in some random corner of my room. I’m absolutely sure that you’re the only one who can take care of him and love him for me.” Sehun said and he stressed the feelings of the stuffed toy. Really he didn’t think that what he said would help, but-

  
“Okay, I’ll keep him!” Jongin readily agreed with a cutely determined expression on his face. He then looked up and his big brown eyes practically sparkled with happiness at Sehun. “I’ll love him for you!”

  
‘ _No fair!_ ’ Sehun thought in disbelief, his face flushing as he coughed awkwardly and glanced away from Jongin. ‘ _He’s too cute!’_

  
A sudden buzzing pulled Sehun from his thoughts and he frowned as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. The name Luhan flashed across the screen and Sehun hesitantly let his thumb hover over the screen. If he swiped left, the call would go to voice mail and if he swiped right, it’d answer the call and he’d have to talk to his fiancé.

  
“Sehun?” Jongin called and he was still holding onto the Pikachu, his eyes soft and a little sad as he watched Sehun. “Do you need a moment?” He must have picked up on who was calling based on Sehun’s expression.

  
Blinking, Sehun looked back at his phone and with a sigh, he swiped left. “No,” He answered as he put his phone away after shutting it off. Jongin looked unsure but Sehun smiled placatingly at him and offered to hold the stuffed toy for him.

  
Jongin pouted at him and he shook his head. “Nope, you gave him to me and I’m not giving him back!” He replied with a defensive huff, his hold tightening on the yellow Pokémon.

  
Sehun chuckled and he decided to let Jongin have his way, even if the toy seemed to be hindering his movement with its large size.

  
They wandered around the fair some more and Sehun had a hard time containing his laughter every time Jongin tried to take a step with the toy blocking his vision. They were passing by lots of couples, but after the third time Jongin almost bumped into someone, he lightly grabbed his elbow and began leading him through the crowd with a fond expression on his face.

  
“HEY!” A woman shouted at them and Sehun paused with a startled Jongin at his side. “Yes, you two, I want you to come here for a second!” She added with a wave and Sehun hesitantly pulled Jongin after him. It probably wasn’t a good idea to listen to a screaming woman, especially since she looked kind of kooky with her hair done up in pig tails and her make up childishly bright.

  
Once Sehun and Jongin stood before her, she set them both down on stools under a white tent. She grabbed Sehun’s chin first and she tilted his head left and right while humming to herself and muttering under her breath. “ _Hmmm_ , yes very nice. Your skin is pretty like snow!”

  
Surprised, Sehun did no more than sit still as the woman observed his face. She soon let him go and she turned to Jongin with a glint in her eyes. “Oh, you’re really cute!” She said, her hands grabbing Jongin’s cheeks and pinching them as she cooed at him. “So adorable, and your skin is so healthy! Such a pretty color, too.”

  
“Ahem.” Sehun coughed politely and the lady stopped fondling Jongin long enough to blink at him. “Why exactly did you call us over here, Miss…?”

  
“Rose! Just call me Rose, and you bring up a good point.” She said, letting go of Jongin and turning to the back of the tent where various plastic boxes were set up. She grabbed one box and a little foldable table, setting it up in front of Sehun and sitting at a third stool she seemed to pull out of thin air. “Just close your eyes and sit still.” She instructed, opening the box and pulling out a set of paint brushes.

  
Sehun eyed the box with its intimidating amount of bright colors and various glitters. “What are you going to do?” He asked, but he was shushed by Rose.

  
“Just let me work my magic and things will be fine!” She assured, but when Sehun refused to close his eyes, she sighed and turned to face Jongin. “Is your boyfriend always this stubborn, cutie?”

  
Sehun gaped and Jongin blushed, shaking his head quickly, his blonde hair swishing with the vigorous movement. “No, no, no! Sehun’s n-not my boyfriend!” He protested. Sehun saw his hands twitch and he spared a glance at the Pokémon set at Jongin’s feet. The boy probably wanted to hold it hide behind it.

  
Rose eyed Jongin’s and Sehun’s matching rings and she gave them both a skeptical look. “Right, cutie. Just tell Sehun here to shut up and sit still.”

  
Sehun huffed and Jongin shyly met his eyes. “Sehun, can you please let Rose do what she wants? It’ll be a fun new experience…” He trailed off when Sehun blinked at him with a blank expression on his face.

  
“Exactly what cutie said!” Rose interjected, waving her paintbrush in Sehun’s face with a glob of light blue dripping from the end. “It’ll be fun in the end, so just close your eyes, unless you want to make me paint around it and give you raccoon rings.” She threatened, bearing her little teeth at Sehun.

  
Rolling his eyes, Sehun closed his eyes and finally gave into the weird lady. It wasn’t too bad, despite her looks, Rose was apparently skilled at painting and Sehun only felt feather light touches of the wet paintbrush on his face. While his eyes were closed, he heard some shuffling and a few clinking noises. Rose changed brushes and with a final flourish around his eyes, she set down her stuff and clapped at her finished piece.

  
“All done! You can open your eyes now Sehun!” She chirped happily and Sehun did as she asked. He didn’t feel too different, but before he could find a mirror, Rose grabbed his chin and turned his head so that he was facing Jongin.

  
Jongin’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. His eyes roamed Sehun’s face and he stared for a few moments, making Sehun shift uncomfortably. _‘It doesn’t look that bad, right_?’ He thought uncertainly when Jongin still didn’t say anything.

  
“Heh, cutie’s speechless! I’m just _that_ good.” Rose said to herself and she pinched a now blushing Jongin’s cheeks with a loud squeal.

  
Sehun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and he asked for a mirror. Rose had already moved on to Jongin’s face and she merely pointed to one at the back of the tent. It was oval shaped and hanging off the wall and Sehun gaped at himself when he saw his reflection.

  
Rose had used the light blue paint to make delicate swirls across his forehead and down his nose. Darker swirls of blue moved around his eyes and little splashes of silver glitter lined the edges of his face, like a masquerade mask. “What the hell!?” He shouted, his hands darting out to touch his face. He looked _pretty_ and he found that offensive, hell he was _manly_ and Rose made him look like a fairy prince or something!

  
Whirling around on his heels, Sehun made his way back toward Rose with the intention of getting a wet rag to wipe the mess off his face. Yet when Rose moved her head, Sehun caught sight of Jongin’s face.

  
Gold paint lined his eyelids and delicate gold glitter fanned out from the outer corner of his eyes. Gold paint was used to make a mock circlet on his forehead and little gems were glued in place. He opened his eye and the smoky gold hues framing his dark brown eyes looked sultry in the late evening. Sehun’s breath caught and he noticed the way the gold glitter caught the light and brought a glow to his honeyed skin. The jewels and the painted circlet only served to add to his exotic looks and Sehun swore that Jongin was the most exquisite thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

  
Dumbfounded, he could do nothing more than stare and Rose had already moved back into place, touching up a few more jewels and patting more glitter onto Jongin’s face before she turned around and gave Sehun a smug look. “Cutie has an edge to him, huh?” She asked and though Sehun didn’t know what she was talking about, he had to agree. Jongin could pull off adorable, but with the right touch he turned into a sex symbol.

  
“Sehun, d-does it look okay?” Jongin asked and he fidgeted in place, his lips forming a natural worried pout and his eyebrows furrowing as he self-consciously touched his face.

  
“Uhmm, yeah…” Sehun mumbled brilliantly. “Y-you look beautiful!” He blurted out and Jongin looked at him with startled eyes.

  
“R-really?” He asked and Sehun watched, entranced as a delicate red bloomed across his cheekbones. Jongin seemed pleased with the answer, but Sehun had a feeling that he didn’t take his words to heart.

  
“Absolutely, Jongin you are the _most_ stunning person I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Sehun said more resolutely and he enjoyed the way that Jongin flushed darker and avoided his eyes, burying his face in his hands out of shyness.

  
“Hey! No flirting, and no touching, you’ll ruin my masterpiece!” Rose protested and her hands fluttered around Jongin’s form, gently prying his hands away from his painted face.

  
Sehun laughed and he moved to help Rose with Jongin. “Why are you so shy? You’re too cute to be shy!” Rose said in an exasperated tone once they managed to wrangle Jongin’s hands away from his face.

  
Sehun nodded along with Rose, he wondered why someone as attractive as Jongin acted so humble, surely Jongin knew that he was attractive, right?

  
“I-I don’t know! I just get embarrassed with c-compliments,” Jongin answered and the tips of his ears turned red.

  
Rose ruffled his hair and she cooed at how cute Jongin was. Feeling his eyebrow twitch in irritation, Sehun slapped Rose’s hands away from Jongin and he glared at her. “Why are you so touchy? Isn’t that unprofessional?”

  
Rose waved him off and she smiled back at Jongin. “Sehun’s all bark and no bite, isn’t he cutie?” She asked rhetorically and she chuckled when Sehun frowned at Jongin’s side. “Well, never mind that, sit here and I’ll be back with a camera real quick!”

  
With that said, she ran off somewhere and left Jongin and Sehun alone together in the empty white tent. Jongin shuffled and he peeked at Sehun, admiring the way the different shades of blue paint matched his fair skin. The silver glitter was pretty, but on Sehun it somehow enhanced his features and made him look like a regal and strong.

  
Noticing Jongin’s inquiring stare, Sehun smirked at him and watched with satisfaction as he easily blushed. ‘ _Never mind, he’s not a prince! He’s Jack Frost, the most frustrating fairytale creature ever!_ ’ Jongin thought and he desperately wished that Sehun didn’t make him so flustered so easily.

  
Watching Jongin’s annoyed face, Sehun laughed and he opened his mouth to say something, but a flash and an audible click interrupted him.  
Rose was looking at them with a smug expression on her face. “I got the perfect shot! You two are so photogenic, I’m jealous.”

  
No matter how much Jongin and Sehun asked her to erase that one and take a new one, Rose refused and she printed nearly a hundred copies of the one picture she managed to steal.

  
In it, Sehun was looking at Jongin fondly, just before he laughed, and Jongin was gazing back at him. His face was still red and with their exotically painted faces, they looked like characters brought to life from an old book.

  
“You two look like you’re about to kiss,” Rose pointed out and Jongin let out a small squeal, covering his face in embarrassment again while Sehun choked on air.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sehun totally had a thousand copies of that picture made.
> 
> Lol, please comment! I read them and it motivates me to write faster :3  
> (I’m also shy with my writing, nice comments make me feel better!)
> 
>  
> 
> BTW: The Nevada State fair starts in late June and is held in Carson City, not Las Vegas, but for the sake of the fic I treated it like the NM state fair and I set it in Las Vegas cause I doubt Sehun and Jongin have sixteen hours to spare traveling to Carson city and back.


	9. It's a Small World After All

 

 

“So you want me to help you what?” Yixing asked as he scratched the back of his head, his eyes wide and incredulous as he stared at Chen.

  
“Pay attention mutt, I just need you to help me break up this couple, their marriage is an inconvenience for me-”

  
“Are you crazy!? What the hell makes you think that I’m going to help you in this crazy scheme?” Yixing shouted and he threw a pillow at Chen’s head, hitting him right in the face. “I’m your cousin but that doesn’t mean that I won’t arrest you for conspiring against someone with ill intent!”

  
Chen frowned and he shoved the pillow away from his face. “You either help me or I’ll release the records of your wild youth back in Beijing.” Chen threatened and he smirked when Yixing stilled and gaped at him.

  
“You told me that you got rid of those pictures you stupid-”

  
“ _Anyway_ , I just need you to help me find a lawyer or something, I can infiltrate their room and get the marriage certificate, if we burn that, they’ll be single again, right?” Chen asked once he was done relaying the vague details of his plan.

  
Yixing sighed and he let his head fall into his hands. “The mere fact that you think burning a marriage certificate will solve anything proves how terrible this plan is.” Yixing muttered and Chen threw the pillow back at his head.

  
“Hey! I at least know enough to realize that a lawyer needs to present!” He sulked, settling back into the comfortable blue couch with his arms crossed over his chest. “Besides, you know that I’d never give you trouble intentionally, I just like seeing you chase you own tail mutt.”

  
Yixing lifted his head and he glared at Chen, the pillow sliding off his back and falling to the floor with the movement. “How in the hell is that going to convince me to help you!? Aside from blackmail, I have no obligation to follow you and your crazy scheme!” He shouted and Chen blinked at him.

  
“I can give you the name of someone you’re looking for in El Dorado.” Chen wheedled and his tone dropped to something deep and serious.

  
Yixing brightened and he eagerly met Chen’s eyes. “You’ll finally be my mole?”

  
“Shit no,” Chen snorted and when Yixing’s face fell, he sighed. “But I can refer you to someone I work with, he might want to reveal more details about our boss.”

  
“Are you serious?” Yixing asked skeptically, letting his more suspicious nature to set in. As a detective (and as Chen’s cousin) he learned that things that seemed too good to be true often were.

  
Chen nodded, “Yeah, you’ll love talking to my old partner Minseok, he knows the boss of El Dorado as well as he knows himself.” Chen smirked to himself when Yixing appeared to contemplate his offer. With how ingrained his family was in the police force, one would think that Chen would have been a cop or something, but he was a certifiable (more like self-proclaimed) _outlaw_. As much as he disagreed with Minseok at the moment, he was too used to cleaning up after his friend’s fuck ups to throw him to the wolves, or more specifically, his family.

  
“Alright, I’ll help you with this stupid plan, but you have to give me Minseok’s number and promise me that he’ll agree to an interrogation.” Yixing finally agreed and he held out his hand for Chen to shake.

  
“That’s what I’ve always wanted to hear, love,” Chen said in a fake sob. He held his hands in front of his chest and he wiped a few fake tears out of his eyes for maximum effect. Yixing slapped the back of his head again and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  
“I don’t know why the hell I let you follow me from Beijing,” He grumbled, standing up and pacing to the kitchen to make himself something to drink. Now that his nap was interrupted, he needed coffee and knowing how impatient Chen was, they were probably going to head out soon. Hopefully he could convince Chen to wait until the next morning, he didn’t want to go out to a business building in the middle of the afternoon, even if it was a weekday.

  
Chen looked back down at his empty hands and he clenched his fingers into a tight fist, a familiar natural curl of his lips making him feel like a movie character villain. ‘ _Heh, that air headed mutt forgot to shake on it.’_

 

-♔-

 

“Hey Chanyeol, have you read the news today?” Someone called out as soon as Chanyeol managed to stumble into the office of the law firm he worked at.

  
Yawning, the harried red head scratched his head and he plopped down at his desk with a sigh. “No, I didn’t have enough time to read the paper this morning, I slept through my alarm!” Chanyeol complained, setting his suitcase on his desk and opening it up. A pile of crumpled papers greeted him and he cursed as he delved his hands into the mess and began sorting the important papers he needed from the ones that needed to be shredded and trashed.

  
“Damn you look like a zombie, did you _stay up all night to get lucky~?_ ” Chanyeol’s assistant asked in a sing song voice, his small face popping into view right around the corner of his cubicle and scaring him.

  
“Woah hyung, calm down!” The boy cheekily quipped and his dark eyes sparkled in mirth, his shoulder length chestnut colored hair swaying softly with the movement.

  
“Taemin!” Chanyeol shouted in exasperation, his dark circle lined eyes narrowing as he glared at his cheeky assistant. Taemin was a young lawyer in training, but the process of becoming a functioning lawyer was long and hard and it required a minimum of two years in internship experience. In short, Taemin was Chanyeol’s apprentice, but no one would know it based on the way Taemin treated his hyung.

  
“Chanyeol!” Taemin shouted back, throwing his hands up above his head. An older lawyer passed by and he gave them both a disapproving look that screamed _behave!_

  
Taemin saluted the man and Chanyeol let his head fall into his arms on top of his desk, the crumpled papers made a decent pillow.

  
“So hyung, back to the important stuff, the news was amazing!” Taemin exaggerated, his eyes lighting up in excitement as he shoved Chanyeol’s head off his desk and set his ass in its place. “So yesterday, there was a car chase downtown and the police had to call in back up, but get this, even with the _entire_ Las Vegas police force tailing them, the criminals got away!”

  
Chanyeol glared at Taemin and he wistfully thought of Jongin, the cute dream dongsaeng he met yesterday. Unlike Taemin, Jongin was an angel and he’d never tease his hyung or take over his desk or include him in gossip or—

  
“Hey hyung, can I ask you something?” Taemin asked in a whisper, leaning his face closer to Chanyeol’s and looking around cautiously.

  
“Of course,” Immediately attentive, Chanyeol nodded and allowed Taemin to lean down to his ear. He was a very attentive and sensitive hyung, or at least he liked to think he was.

  
“Hyung, can you take over this case for me? I have a date tonight and I don’t want to be cooped up here all night examining a parking ticket just because some asshole doesn’t want to pay a forty dollar fine.” Taemin complained and he began animatedly waving his hands in the air, talking about his new client and describing how annoying he was.

  
_‘Tch! Why am I stuck with the loudest, most annoying intern in the firm_?’ Chanyeol thought as his eyebrow twitched in irritation. He gave up on saving his papers from his desk, considering Taemin was squishing it with his butt. He’d rather call his mom and tell her he wanted to get married than reach under Taemin and get his papers.

  
“Hey, I have a new divorce case, anyone up for this one?” The head of the firm shouted. He had snow white hair that was combed back neatly and he had glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He dressed strangely, but it was passable for the west. After all, no one in New York was going rock a Pendleton vest and a turquoise bullhead tie.

  
A collective groan resounded through the room and Taemin quickly ducked back behind Chanyeol’s cubicle. Las Vegas law firms made a shit ton of money settling drunken marriage divorces, but it was safe to say that after a few cases, all the lawyers in town would rather handle traffic tickets than another divorce case. Those things also tended to get ugly, and the older lawyers at the firm told horror stories of couples that would fight in court, flinging furniture, slashing tires, stealing money, and even fighting over pets.

  
The old man sighed and Chanyeol felt bad Mr. Barber, though that didn’t stop him from ducking his head and trying to stay out of the old man’s line of sight.

  
“Well, don’t all volunteer at once.” Mr. Barber muttered sarcastically as he adjusted his glasses and slid the wire frames up to the bridge of his nose. Everyone still tried to stay busy, so with a glare, Mr. Barber pointed out the first person he saw.

  
That just so happened to be Chanyeol, whose tall form and bright red hair didn’t help him hide at all.

  
“You, Raggedy Andy, you’re taking this case now!” Mr. Barber said decisively and he nodded when Chanyeol pointed to himself in confusion. “Perfect, you’ll handle the case.” He continued and he headed in Chanyeol’s direction, a slim file held under his arm. “They’re in the waiting room right now, they called in yesterday and made an appointment, so this will probably be a big one.”

  
Mr. Barber passed on the folder and he slapped Chanyeol on the shoulder for good luck a couple of times before he turned to Taemin with a raised brow. “Mr. Kim, I don’t believe that your desk is located in this area of the building.” He reprimanded and Chanyeol took that as his cue to leave.

  
Mr. Barber could lecture a cactus on being prickly and although he felt bad that his dongsaeng got on the man’s bad side first thing in the morning, he still snickered at the brunette and stuck his tongue out at him in retaliation for bugging him that morning. Taemin shot him a venomous glare, but he withered under Mr. Barber’s harsh tone and his piercing blue eyes.

  
Laughing, Chanyeol made his way out into the office hallway and he headed toward the door marked for visitors at the end of the hall. The firm had a room reserved for private consultations, when a client received a lawyer they were moved to a more private room located further within the firm, but the room Chanyeol was headed to was used for quick, general meetings. Some cases were so petty and baseless that they didn’t make it to court.

  
Opening the door and bowing as soon as he had room, Chanyeol introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Park Chanyeol and I’ll be your advisor for this consultation.” Once he stood up, he was surprised to see two people in the room, both males. He was expecting a hetero couple or one disgruntled and hungover spouse.

  
“Hey, he looks like the character on that one kid’s cereal!” Chen shouted and he pointed at Chanyeol’s ears while his eyes roamed over his bright red hair.

  
Yixing slapped his hands down and he growled out something to his cousin that made him pout and sulk quietly in his chair. Turning to Chanyeol, he politely bowed while staying seated and he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Sorry about Chen, he was dropped on his head as a baby. Just disregard anything he says from now on and you’ll keep your sanity, _unlike me._..” He muttered the last part and Chanyeol got the sense that he wasn’t supposed to catch that.

  
Chen scoffed and he looked over his cousin’s head of blonde curly hair to give the tall lawyer standing in the doorway a judging look. “Aren’t you going to sit down? Or do we have to break our necks looking up at your gangly form?”

  
Chanyeol glared and he grit his teeth, intent on keeping his temper in check as he shut the door behind himself and sat in the chair set in front of the desk across the two strange men. “So Chen and…?”

  
“Zhang Yixing,” The blonde said, straightening in his seat and giving Chanyeol a put together smile that brought out the hidden dimples in his cheeks.

  
“Hey, if we’re gonna be formal and shit, I demand to be referred to as Mr. Kim,” Yixing pinched Chen’s side and the man retaliated with a yelp and a slap that had his cousin cursing and rubbing his head.

  
_‘I can see why they wanted a divorce now_ …’ Chanyeol thought to himself. The divorce cases he handled were usually calm and emotionless affairs, but Chen and Yixing were by far one of the most rowdy and rude people he’d had to deal with since becoming a lawyer. And Chanyeol had a feeling that this wasn’t the worst of them.

  
“So Mr. Zhang and Mr. Kim, what brings you two the belief that you need a divorce consultation?” Chanyeol asked and he opened the folder that Mr. Barber gave him. But upon seeing nothing in the folder, he blanched and considered getting the old firm owner some memory helping puzzles. ‘ _Mr. Barber is pretty old, I wonder why he hasn’t retired yet…?_ ’

  
“Ah, about that, we have this friend—” Chen mumbled something under his breath and Yixing kept a straight face and retained eye contact with Chanyeol as he stomped mercilessly on Chen’s foot and ground it into the floor. “—A _friend_ who wants to know what it takes to get a divorce.”

  
Chanyeol nodded and closed the empty folder set on his desk with a slight hum, his mind already going through the procedure. “Well to legally get a divorce in Nevada, one has to have a copy of the marriage certificate, proof of identification, and at least one witness at the alleged wedding.” Chanyeol paused and he looked back and forth from Chen to Yixing. “But you should know that due to the high divorce rates in Las Vegas, a divorce likely won’t be granted unless there is proof of domestic abuse or the marriage has lasted longer than a year.”

  
Chen frowned and Yixing sighed wearily. That wasn’t the answer they were looking for exactly, and Yixing wasn’t sure what Chen was going to resort to now that a speedy divorce was out of the question.

  
“Wait, what are the requirements for getting married?” Chen asked and Chanyeol looked at him in surprised confusion.

  
“Uhm, w-well all the bride and groom need is a marriage license, a priest, and a witness to get married.” He finally answered with a soft frown on his lips. “But if you’re looking for a divorce, why are you-”

  
“What if the couple doesn’t have a valid marriage license?” Chen asked and Yixing finally caught on to his line of questioning.

  
“Ah, then the marriage would be considered null and void.” Chanyeol said and he leaned back into his seat, his suspicious eyes never leaving Chen and Yixing’s forms. “But I seriously doubt that this couple was refused a marriage license, anyone over eighteen and consenting can get one.”

  
Turning to Yixing with an excited expression, Chen slapped his cousin’s arm to get his attention. “This is it! I can prove that the bride was underage, and now they can get a divorce really fast-!”

  
“Wait, _what_!?” Chanyeol interrupted, his eyes wide and incredulous as he stared at Chen. “What is this about an underage bride? The unauthorized matrimony of a minor could result in a sentence in _federal prison!_ ”

  
Yixing gaped at the lawyer before he whirled on Chen with furious eyes. “What the hell Chen, I thought you said that this would bring me no trouble at all!”

  
“Hey, hey, calm down. Shit, you two act like a fifteen year old can’t make his own coherent decisions.” Chen huffed and he flopped back into his seat, put out by the fact that his cousin and his lawyer were overreacting about age instead of praising his genius for finding a loophole in Jongin’s marriage.

  
“A fifteen year old!” Chanyeol shouted in disbelief, his mind flashing to Jongin and his sweet smile. “That’s way too young to be married, and more importantly it’s _illegal_!”

  
Chen nodded and he made an assenting noise with the motion. “Exactly, if it’s illegal then it should be all the more easier to divorce the couple and leave the bride free to marry again, this time while not under the influence.”

  
Yixing gasped in astonishment, but Chanyeol had him beat in reactions. “WHAT!?” He screamed and Chen flinched and covered his ears. He glared at the lawyer once he was done screaming and he had the nerve to shush him afterword.

  
“Keep it down Lucky, I have sensitive ears,” Chen complained, yet he stuck a finger in his ear and began wriggling it around.

  
“Chen you little bastard, you just had to involve me in all of this! What the fuck am I going to say when my boss-”

  
Chen sat up and he glared back at Yixing. “Hey, you agreed to help me, you’re not backing out now that we just started!”

  
Chanyeol let the two argue it out as he inched toward the door. He had no intention of helping in a case that involved a minor bride and alcohol. In fact, he was going to escape from these two nut heads and call the police, yeah, they’d help him and save the poor fifteen year old they were talking about…

  
“Hey Lucky, where the hell are you sneaking off to?” Chen growled and he stopped arguing with his cousin long enough to call out to Chanyeol.

  
Reaching the doorknob and grabbing ahold of it with one long arm, Chanyeol twisted and the door slipped open a fraction of an inch—

  
It slammed shut again when a booted foot kicked it back into the frame, the wood rattling with the motion and startling Chanyeol, who was now petrified with fear. “You weren’t going to snitch on me now were you, Lucky?” Chen asked in a menacing tone, his eyes darkening to a pitch black ink color as he leaned down to the lawyer’s face.

  
Instead of giving the clearly dangerous man an answer, Chanyeol inhaled and he opened his mouth to scream, “SOMEONE HEL—!”

  
He was cut off by a blinding pain in the back of his head and Chanyeol lost consciousness, slipping forward and slumping against the door limply.

  
Chen frowned and he kicked him gingerly to the side with a booted foot. The lawyer fell to his side in a heap and the confused mafia enforcer looked up to see Yixing with his hands held in a defensive stance in front of him. “Mutt, why did you knock him out? I thought cop lovers were good Samaritans.”

  
Yixing dropped his hands and he began to panic. “Shit! I did that out of reflex! Now what the hell am I going to do!?”

  
Chen ignored him and he checked Chanyeol’s pulse. “Oh calm down mutt, he’s just knocked out.” He said and he spared Yixing an appreciative glance. “You haven’t lost your touch, I guess the police academy ain’t all that bad.”

  
Yixing gaped at him incredulously, “We have a knocked out lawyer in an office full of people who could persecute us and send us to jail for a long time and you have the nerve to be a wise ass?”

  
Chen frowned and he looked at Yixing as if he were stupid. “Asses aren’t wise, shithead.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the gist of my marriage law research, please don't take any of this literally! (^-^)/


	10. You Make Me Real

 

  
“Okay, we have the lawyer, what now Yixing?” Chen asked once he managed to wrangle Chanyeol into the back seat of his borrowed car.

  
Yixing shot him an incredulous look and his voice was raised to a near screech in his incredulity. “Why the hell are you asking me!? You’re the one who dragged him out here and stuffed him in the car like you knew what you were doing!”

  
Chen blinked at him and he shook his head in disappointment, his voice dripping with the emotion. “I can’t think of _everything_ , you need to pull your own weight around here as well, mutt.”

  
Yixing gaped at him but Chen ignored him in favor of opening the car door and sitting in the driver’s seat. Once situated, he seemed to realize that Yixing wasn‘t following him, so he rolled down the window and shouted at his cousin. “Get in the damn car before they start looking for Lucky.”

  
Yixing shushed the brazen man and he quickly scanned the parking lot set in front of the law office. Aside from a few curious fat pigeons, the area was devoid of life.

  
Heaving as sigh, Yixing ran a hand through his tangled mop of blonde locks as he rushed to sit in the passenger’s seat. “Your contact in El Dorado better be damn good,” He muttered once he finally shut the door behind himself and started putting on his seatbelt.

  
Chen smirked at his cousin and he abruptly stepped on the gas, causing the car to shoot forward and Yixing to smack his head on the dashboard before he had his seatbelt on. The resulting yelp of pain had Chen laughing and Yixing scowling and complaining more vehemently than before.

 

-♔-

 

There is a certain finesse to movement. Water does it all the time, it is fluid, graceful and has the strength to cut down diamonds. This was something that Jongin liked to think when he was dancing, that he was movement, that he was water and that he was capable of being graceful and confident.

  
However, that all flew out the window the moment Sehun stepped into the dance studio and simply stood by the doorway, waiting for Jongin to finish practice and leave with him. The other dancers merely gave the tall man a glance out of the corner of their eyes before they turned their attention back to the steps and ran through them with practiced ease.

  
They moved smoothly and easily, yet upon feeling the older male’s stare on him, Jongin blushed and fumbled through the steps that he spent the better part of the summer learning. His teacher was giving him an inquisitive look, noticing the sudden clumsy movements coming from his best student, but instead of calling him out on it, the man merely motioned from Jongin to pay attention and stopped the music long enough to dismiss everyone from class for the day.

  
“Alright, that is enough. We’ll continue this tomorrow and remember, at the end of this week, the final details of the show will be ironed out and we’ll perform on stage.” A low hum broke out in the class amongst the fatigued students, but Jongin fell silent and he quickly shot out of the classroom, grabbing Sehun’s hand and dragging him out of the room along the way.

  
Once the two were in a more secluded area of the hallway, Jongin turned to his unexpected fiancé. “Sehun, what are you doing here?”

  
Sehun sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he answered, hoping that he didn’t bother Jongin during class. “Sorry, it’s just that Minseok sent me here? He said something about having to attend to business and since he really doesn’t like me, I figured it must have been very important if he resorted to me for help.” He said and his eyes narrowed in irritation when he remembered the earlier events.

  
He was sitting in his room, deciding that staying in was a far better option than venturing to the bar and getting drunk. He already had a fiancé and a husband, he didn’t need another one added to the mix. Just when Sehun was going to lose his mind in boredom, Minseok burst into the room and demanded that he “ _Get up and make himself useful._ ” The man shoved him out the door and stuffed him into the driver’s seat of a nice car and gave him directions to Jongin’s ballet school while giving out vague orders to Jun and Jae about transporting “ _the deadweight_.”

  
Jongin frowned in confusion, “Business? But Chen is gone, daddy doesn’t work without him…”

  
Jongin got lost in thought but Sehun didn’t mind, he liked watching his eyebrows scrunch together cutely and his mouth pucker a bit as he bit his lips. It was almost unfair the way he let his guard down so easily.

  
“I think that he’ll be fine on his own.” Sehun said, drawing Jongin’s attention back to him. “By the way, what were you practicing in there? It looked very difficult.”

  
Jongin fidgeted with his hands and he paused in horror when he noticed his dance practice clothing, nothing but tights and a simple loose white shirt. ‘ _Oh no! My clothes are in my bag…’_ Jongin thought. He really didn’t want Sehun to see him like this, he had some unpleasant experiences in public when he wore his dance practice clothes on the way home. The looks and sneers he got hurt and terrified him and he had resorted to asking Minseok for a ride everyday just to avoid it. He knew that a boy liking ballet was unusual and he didn’t want Sehun to think the worst of him for something as simple as being different than other boys.

  
“U-uhhm, c-can you excuse me?” Jongin stuttered and he kept his head down, not waiting to see Sehun’s reaction before he fled down the hallway in the direction of the changing rooms.

  
“Wait! Jongin,” Sehun called as he ran after the petite blonde and easily caught up to him. “Why are you running?” He asked, grabbing onto Jongin’s hand and pulling him back, accidentally making the fleeing male stumble. Fortunately Sehun was able to steady him, though he didn’t back away from Jongin or let his hands fall from Jongin’s waist to his sides. Sehun told himself that he was just preventing Jongin from leaving again, but he found that he liked the way Jongin fit in his arms, his eyes downcast as his hands twisted along the hem of his shirt.

  
“I-I’m not running,” Jongin mumbled, still choosing to avoid Sehun’s gaze. He really hoped that Sehun didn’t notice how affected he was just by his proximity. It was childish and naïve to always become a stuttering flushed mess whenever Sehun so much as looked at him, much less held him close like this.

  
“Okay,” Sehun let out a faint chuckle, finally releasing Jongin only to grab the male and pull him into a tight hug. “You weren’t running from me Jongin, but I think that I’ll hold on just in case you decide to find a man who can dance with you.” Sehun murmured playfully, when he saw Jongin so serious and concentrated earlier he felt a burst of pride in his chest. It was amazing to see him transform from a young boy who was shy and introverted to a young man chasing his passion in dance professionally.

  
Luhan was the definition of cold and serene, but even when Jongin was working hard Sehun could still see the love and excitement that Jongin had for dance in his eyes. And when practice was over, Jongin looked tired and satisfied, as if he accomplished more than enough to feel happy in that moment.

  
‘ _Wait, shit_ ,’ Sehun thought with a slight frown, his mind circling back to a certain someone waiting for him back in Korea. _‘I forgot to call Luhan back.’_ A lot had happened between him and Jongin in the last day in a half, and Sehun assumed that he was subconsciously making an effort to block out Luhan in the hopes that his fiancé would forget about him or something. Unfortunately the world wasn’t that kind and he’d have to face Luhan someday.

  
“Wait, what did you say!?” Jongin suddenly interrupted, pulling back from Sehun long enough to look into his eyes incredulously. “You can’t dance?”

  
Sehun felt his face heat up in embarrassment, he must seem so pathetic to Jongin, who was probably able to land an arts scholarship without studying. “Uh, yeah?” He finally answered, scratching the side of his nose and a voiding Jongin’s eyes now. “I don’t go out much.” He settled for saying, not wanting to point out that every time he went to the club it was with Luhan, who never got so much as tipsy enough to lose control and do something as ridiculous as dancing. Before that though, Sehun was the loner who usually stood by the wall and waited for people to approach him, he didn’t have to wait long and his partners usually knew what the hell they were doing and were much more coordinated than him.

 

“Hold on,” Jongin said distractedly, wriggling out of Sehun’s embrace and disappearing back into the practice room. Sehun only had time to blink before Jongin popped his head back out, a brilliant smile lighting up his face as he gestured to Sehun with a quick wave of his hand. “C’mon Sehun! We can stay for a while!”

  
Like a moth drawn to a flame, Sehun quickly reached Jongin’s side and he followed the young blonde into the room without question or clear hesitation. Instead, he found himself watching as Jongin flitted to one side of the room and busied himself with what looked like a laptop, confused, Sehun opened his mouth to ask if Jongin was going to get in some extra practice when a slow piano melody filled the room from unseen speakers.

  
Jongin faced Sehun again and he looked comfortable and confident, his movements slow and sure as he approached Sehun with an impish grin on his lips. “I can show you how to dance,” He said lowly, not waiting for Sehun’s consent before he took Sehun’s left hand and placed it on his hips. Jongin’s own left hand drifted up Sehun’s side and he gently grasped the back of Sehun’s neck, the simple action bringing them so close that their chests almost touched. Jongin then threaded his small fingers through Sehun’s right hand and held both up to the side, taking a traditional formal waltz stance.

  
When the melody of the piano drew to a soft close, a whole orchestra started up in a tune that Sehun didn’t recognize. Jongin started humming along obliviously and he began leading Sehun through the steps of the dance, it was quiet for a moment and Sehun was busy watching his feet and trying to keep up with Jongin.

  
“Sehun are your feet more interesting to look at than me?” Jongin giggled, his eyes light and teasing when Sehun looked up. The older male had to take a moment to become adjusted to the closeness of the smiling blonde, his sweet scent and gentle warmth enough to make his unruly heart speed up. “I know I’m not much—”

  
“No!” Sheun interrupted and the loud unexpected shout was enough to make Jongin pause. “Jongin, you’re beautiful.” Sehun finally managed to say, feeling the need to explain himself when Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise and the teasing smile slipped off his mouth. “I-I, well I know that you don’t see yourself as anything special, but Jongin you are mesmerizing.”

  
Jongin’s expression grew flustered and a dark pink blush bloomed on his cheeks, complimenting his honeyed skin and expressive dark eyes. “T-thank you,” Jongin whispered, ducking his head shyly and tugging on Sehun’s hand in a silent signal that they were supposed to get back to dancing.

  
Sehun chuckled and he resisted giving into the urge to hug Jongin close and smother him in kisses, he was so cute at times and his humble personality was more than a little appealing to Sehun, who was used to living around privileged people who took praise for granted. Sehun’s thoughts drifted once again to Luhan and he frowned, remembering how Luhan expected to be praised but seemed to never appreciate it when it came from Sehun. ‘ _Aish, why am I thinking about this now!?’_ Sehun thought in annoyance, shaking off the memory and focusing on Jongin again. He had plenty of time to think about his fiancé later when he called him.

  
“Sehun, are you alright? Do you want to leave now, I’m sorry I held you up….” Jongin interrupted, a little furrow appearing in between his eyebrows as his little white teeth gnawed on his plush bottom lip in worry. “I-I didn’t mean to w-waste your time!”

  
Sehun felt Jongin come to a stop and reluctantly let the blonde pull away. Sighing, Sehun let the boy ramble before he walked up and outright pressed his fingers to Jongin’s lips to shush him. “Jongin, you’re not bothering me,” He said slowly, waiting until he was sure that he had his husband’s attention.

  
“I liked having you show me how to slow dance, Lu-” Sehun abruptly stopped talking and he wanted to kick himself when he saw the brief flash of pain in Jongin’s eyes at the mention of his fiancé. The name slipped out like a bad secret, but recently Luhan had been on his mind and Sehun had been worrying about his marriage to Jongin, his divorce from Jongin, and then his mind flashed to his wedding with Luhan. He was absently thinking of Luhan wanting to have a first couple dance at the wedding and Sehun had almost said " _Luhan would appreciate the free lesson."_

  
“O-oh,” Jongin mumbled and his tone was so subdued that Sehun was willing to do anything to get that little spark of happiness back into him.

  
“Jongin, why don’t we go out somewhere to eat and just…enjoy ourselves?” Sehun asked, though when he voiced his request out loud it sounded unbelievably insensitive and selfish, Jongin wouldn’t want to just forget Luhan and spend time with a claimed man, even if—

  
“Okay!” Jongin agreed, brightening momentarily, though he cast a look at his clothes and deflated a little bit. “Ah wait, I need to change first.” With that said, he bounded off and Sehun was left alone, the last of the classical song they were dancing to fading into silence.

  
Blinking, Sehun inwardly began wondering why Jongin would want to spend time with him, but it was lost the moment Sehun’s brain registered the fact that he practically asked Jongin out on a date and the cute blonde had happily and immediately agreed.

 

-♔-

 

Sehun really didn’t know Las Vegas well, but the city was basically catered to tourists, so it was easy to find a place to eat. The restaurant he happened to pick was also one that Jongin wasn’t familiar with and Sehun felt some accomplishment in getting to experience something new with Jongin in his hometown.

  
The restaurant was a really nice place, though instead of being upscale and classy and generally as formal as Sehun was used to, it was a little brick building that stood out among the concrete and steel of the city. The hostess of the place was friendly and her eyes darted down to Sehun and Jongin’s ring fingers, smiling a little at the sight of the unique matching rings. Sehun felt a little like his privacy was invaded and he wondered if it was a Vegas thing that had everyone checking for a wedding ring.

  
“So a table for two, please follow me,” The hostess chirped and when she turned her brown hair swished around her shoulders, making Sehun think about Jongin’s own golden hair and the way it moved when he danced.

  
“It’s always somewhat busy here during the lunch and dinner rush, but we have some space up on the roof?” The woman asked and her question sounded more like a statement than anything. Still, she turned to face Jongin and Sehun and waited for a reply.

  
Sehun looked at Jongin, who smiled and without even needing a voiced answer, Sehun knew that Jongin didn’t mind. “That’s fine,” Sehun said and the hostess nodded before she led the couple to a rounded, winding staircase, her muttered “ _watch your step!_ ” considerate but unneeded.

  
Finally, they made it to the roof and Sehun heard Jongin gasp softly behind him. The top of the brick building had a small scattering of tables set up under a canopy of soft tea lights, fragrant magnolias and leafy vines were wound around the wooden structure of the canopy and the view of the bustling city just below the roof was breathtaking.

  
The hostess giggled at their reaction and with a flourish of her arm, she let the couple walk up and choose their own table.

  
Sehun immediately chose an isolated spot and Jongin followed along, moving to sit down, but Sehun darted to his side and slid the chair out for Jongin. “Oh, t-thank you!” Jongin murmured and Sehun felt warm when he noticed the tips of his ears turned a faint red in embarrassment.

  
Once Sehun was seated, the hostess asked them what they would like to drink while ordering. Sehun didn’t exactly remember what he ordered, but Jongin got something sweet and cool and while he was distracted Sehun took the time to appreciate being close with him.

  
Jongin had changed from his practice clothes to some worn jeans and an expensive billowy pink silk shirt that made him look sweet and elegant. Sehun liked that the rose color of the top drew his eyes to the matching color of his lips and the slight flush on his cheeks from the breezy day. It offset his blonde hair, which was catching the light of the late afternoon and Sehun really wished that he could take a picture of Jongin and keep it in his wallet.

  
“Sehun, what is your favorite food?” Jongin suddenly asked, done perusing the menu and looking at Sehun with his head tilted to the side curiously.

  
Sehun thought about it for a while, but then he shook his head. “I don’t have a favorite food, I usually get something quick and easy to eat.” Sehun’s work was demanding and despite the payoff, he was somewhat of a workaholic, never voluntarily choosing to take time off unless it was for business. Which is exactly what this trip should have been, but he was stuck in America for two weeks, one of which he had to spend waiting for the stupid business associate who missed his flight and had to arrange for a new one at a later date.

  
Jongin huffed at Sehun and looked at him as if he had personally offended him, “That’s no way to live! You have to at least have something you like to eat more than anything else.”

  
Sehun smiled and he really wanted to ruffle Jongin’s hair, but he settle for thinking more seriously this time. “I guess you could say that my favorite dish is tteok-guk.” Jongin looked intrigued and Sehun felt the need to elaborate since he was probably expecting the tall CEO to choose a western dish. “I, uh, didn’t really grow up in a traditional home, but every New Year’s Day, my mother would spend hours in the kitchen cooking tteok-guk. I used to watch her and though it took a long time, she made everything from scratch and it was the only time I ever saw her do something so menial on her own. I learned to appreciate it much more because of that.”

  
Jongin watched with rapt attention as he talked and Sehun began feeling a little self-conscious at this point. So clearing his throat, Sehun gestured to Jongin and asked him his own question. “So what is your favorite food?”

  
Jongin smiled and he didn’t hesitate to answer. “Strawberries,” He said so seriously that Sehun paused and had to remind himself that he was indeed talking to Jongin, and after his simple answer, he felt a little embarrassed at having picked something as strange and yet common as rice cake soup, even going so far as to tell a story with it.

  
Laughing a little at his expression, Jongin decided to give Sehun more of an answer. “My father was horrible at cooking, but he was too stubborn to let the chef do it. When I was little, it bothered me because I wanted to please him, but I couldn’t keep down what he concocted in the kitchen half the time. I had to live off fresh fruits and vegetables and basically anything that didn’t require prep until I learned to cook for myself.” Jongin’s eyes sparkled and his smile grew fond at the memory.

  
However, the melancholic mood was interrupted by a waitress with a bright expression to match the hostess’ and black hair cut into a bob. “Hello, welcome, may I take your orders now?” She asked politely and she already had a little notepad and pen out.

  
Sehun floundered and he quickly flipped through the menu, too busy talking to have taken a look at it earlier. Unfazed, the waitress turned to Jongin, who murmured his order and by the time he was done, Sehun had already picked something random and handed the menus off to the waitress who took their written orders to the kitchen.

  
“Alright, what else do you want to ask?” Sehun said, noticing that Jongin was looking at him as if he wanted to say something but was unsure if he should ask or not.

  
Startled, Jongin stuttered out his question, “W-why did you a-ask me to come here? Y-you didn’t h-have to listen to my dad, I-I could have w-walked home…”

  
Sehun frowned and he really hoped that despite how confusing his actions may have appeared to Jongin, the other male knew that he genuinely wouldn’t leave him to fend for himself on the streets. Though technically he already did that once, when Jongin disappeared for a night…Sehun was definitely going to quit drinking. “I didn’t want to just leave you stranded there, and your dad may be a little _difficult_ , but he trusted me to take care of you and I don’t want to disappoint him.” Well, disappoint him more than he already had, he was pretty sure that Minseok hated him now.

  
“S-still, you didn’t have to pick me up, so thank you.” Jongin said and he brushed his bangs out of his eyes, the long sleeves of his silk shirt catching the light and flowing smoothly like water with the small action. “Now,” Jongin’s smile turned mischievous and Sehun found that he actually grew wary of Jongin. “Why don’t you know how to dance? Were you a wallflower in high school?”

  
Sehun sputtered at that, “I was _not_ a wallflower!” He shouted and despite no one else being on the roof, Sehun cast an embarrassed glance around and he lowered his voice, much to the amusement of Jongin whose smile looked more like a smirk. “I’ll have you know that I was the King of my graduating class, there was no one unwilling to dance with me.”

  
Jongin laughed and his voice was playful when he replied, “Even when you can’t seem to look away from your feet?”

  
Sehun felt his face turn red and he cursed his pale complexion and Kim Jongin, the angel who was currently laughing at him. “Hey! You were moving so quickly that I could barely keep up, and I didn’t want to crush your toes. You should be thanking me for my consideration, brat.” He gently flicked Jongin on the forehead and that made the blonde’s laughter die out slowly.

  
“Okay hyung, thank you for not stomping on my feet with your heavy shoes,” Jongin teased and the younger male didn’t seem to notice the slip up, but Sehun did.

  
“Oh? so I’m hyung now Jonginnie?” He said and he watched with satisfaction as Jongin’s laughter completely faded and a blush rose high on his cheeks.

  
“I-I, w-well,” He stuttered and Sehun found his flustered expression so cute that he couldn’t resist ruffling Jongin’s hair. The younger male froze at his touch, then he relaxed and lightheartedly slapped Sehun’s hands away, whining about his hair turning into a bird’s nest.

  
Seeing the light in Jongin’s eyes, Sehun felt at ease and he spoke his mind just when the smaller male began combing deft fingers through messy blonde hair. “I don’t mind it, you can call me hyung if you want.”

  
Jongin’s reaction was interesting. His blush deepened and he averted his gaze, his hands falling to his lap and twisted the napkin set on it. “S-Sehun, I—

  
“Here’s your food!” The waitress interrupted cheerily and Sehun felt disappointed that he didn’t get to hear what Jongin was going to say next. He tried not to think of the way his name fell from that sinful mouth though and he instead wondered way Jongin was hesitant to call him hyung when he wasn’t too shy about calling him Honey a few days ago.

  
When the steamy food was finally placed on the table, Sehun felt the first stirrings of hunger in his stomach and he decided that he’d ask Jongin later, before he forgot.

  
They were silent for a while and though Sehun wouldn’t have minded a little small talk again, though he noticed that Jongin seemed too interested in his food to invest in pesky conversation. So he let the blonde be and once they were done eating, Jongin met his eyes and he asked another question.

  
“Do you want to share a desert with me?” Sehun started and Jongin’s eyes widened. “Oh no, not l-like a couple or a-anything like t-that! I-I just thought that it would cost less this way and—”

  
“No.” Sehun refuted and Jongin looked taken aback.

  
“O-oh,” He said and he ducked his head out of embarrassment, of course Sehun wouldn’t want to share! It’s strange and he probably didn’t want Jongin to dirty his food or something…

  
Seeing the hurt flash across Jongin’s face, Sehun frantically waved his hands. “I-It’s not that I don’t want to! I just don’t really like sweets,” He elaborated and Jongin’s frown softened and his eyes appeared relieved.

  
“Why not?” Jongin asked tentatively and his eyes bored into Sehun, searching for an answer as if he could find them within Sehun’s black eyes.

  
Sehun shrugged and he felt a more than happy to answer, apparently he couldn’t refuse Jongin anything. “I just don’t like the way it makes my jaw ache, it’s really annoying.”

  
Jongin hummed and he admitted that he could agree with Sehun on that, he was an avid lover of all things delectable but he didn’t like it when things were sweet to the point of pain. Sehun watched as Jongin’s face grew pensive, a little pout forming on his rosy lips as he got lost in thought. Sehun enjoyed watching Jongin move through emotions, his entire being as expressive as his eyes, he couldn’t imagine a still Jongin and if Sehun were honest with himself, he wouldn’t really want to. Jongin was someone who captivated with a single movement and kept them hooked with his lively actions.

  
“Oh, I got it!” Jongin finally said and Sehun watched as his eyes lit up in excitement. “I’ll order something for both of us, but you have to try it Sehun.” Jongin playfully wagged a finger in his direction, “And you can’t peek or ask for a hint, it’ll be a secret.”

  
Sehun leaned back into his seat and he hummed in mock consideration. “I don’t know…you might just order something sugary to prank me.”

  
Jongin sputtered, “No!” He protested, his gaze becoming soft and earnest. “I wouldn’t do something like that to you,” He said and his face looked so soft and his eyes were warm, that alone coaxed Sehun into complying and the tall male only had time to nod dumbly before Jongin cheered and eagerly waved the waitress over.

  
Casting Sehun a side glance, Jongin gestured for the waitress to come closer and Sehun watched with baited breath as his soft lips drew closer to the waitress’ ear before the sight was covered with a hand and Jongin began whispering. The waitress looked thoughtful and she met Sehun’s gaze, a smile making its way onto her lips as she nodded along with Jongin and left to fulfill Jongin’s order.

  
Fiddling with his napkin and feeling a little petulant at how close Jongin and the waitress were, Sehun decided to try his luck at coaxing Jongin into revealing what he wanted Sehun to try so badly. “ _Jonginnie_ ,” The term of endearment fell from his lips softly and Sehun delighted in the wait that Jongin froze and stared at him with wide eyes, like a little rabbit caught before a hungry wolf. Licking his lips, Sheun continued, keeping his voice to a low, comforting murmur. “Will you _please_ tell hyung what you said to the waitress?”

  
Jongin looked as if he really were going to give in, but he shook his head and pouted at Sheun. “Sehun, it’s a secret!” He huffed and Sehun frowned, he needed to work on his technique.

  
As the desert came, Sehun sighed when Jongin looked at him with big pleading eyes and he shut his eyes. He heard some shuffling and whispers and he heard Jongin giggle before a tentative tap on his hand had him opening his eyes again.

  
“Okay, this is it!” Jongin said and with a flourish and he gestured the plate set in the middle of the table. Sehun blinked at the little chocolates shaped like a star, each one neatly piled on the other until it made a tiny pyramid shape. A drizzle of something red lined the arranged chocolates and aside from it being something he knew was sweet, Sehun thought the desert was way too elaborate for food.

  
“Well? What do you think?” Jongin asked, tilting his head and peeking at Sehun from under thick lashes, his brown eyes reminding Sehun of the chocolate spread out before him.

  
“It’s…chocolate,” Sehun said simply and Jongin pouted. “That’s not what I meant,” He whined softly and Sehun smirked at him.

  
“I hate sweets things, so if you really want me to eat this, you’ll have to feed it to me.” Sehun said darkly and he watched as a familiar pretty blush rose upon Jongin’s cheeks. If he was going to do this, Sehun at least wanted an excuse to get closer to Jongin, who had been sitting across from him all evening and at this point, Sehun was getting tired of being allowed to look but not touch.

  
“I-I, N-no!” Jongin protested and he shook his head vigorously enough to make his blonde hair shift with the movement. He looked so flustered and cute that Sehun considered just giving in and eating the desert for a second, but he smirked and leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms across his chest and watching as Jongin gulped, his wide brown eyes watching him. “I thought you wanted me to try this desert, Jonginnie.” Sehun merely purred.

  
“I-I did, but n-not with m-me feeding you!” Jongin replied and he was blushing so hard that Sehun was sure he would soon start resembling a tomato. Sehun shrugged and waited, watching Jongin squirm in his seat and bite his lip, his eyes darting up and down from Sehun to the chocolate.

  
“O-okay,” Jongin finally relented and he stood up, walking over to Sehun’s side and bending down near him. The proximity of Jongin made Sehun feel a little flustered now and having his face so close to his own reminded the older male of the time he was last like this, though admittedly the memory of their last disastrous kiss was a little hazy because of alcohol.

  
Jongin’s face came even closer and when he turned to look at Sehun, the male froze, his heart picking up speed and his face beginning to feel warm. However, Jongin was oblivious to this and he quickly shoved the chocolate he picked up into Sehun’s mouth before he scurried back to his chair with a wild blush making its way down the expanse of his collarbones, exposed by the open collar of his pink silk shirt.

  
Sehun made a muffled noise of protest and he felt his expression shift into one of surprise when the treat was suddenly shoved in his mouth, but it was soon lost as his taste buds finally registered the richness of the chocolate. Like he expected, it was sweet, but there was an underlying heat in the chocolate, a spicy undertone that neutralized the sweetness and made his mouth water as he devoured the rest of the little star shaped chocolate. When it was all gone, Sehun licked his lips and he met Jongin’s eyes with an incredulous lilt to his voice. “What the hell was that?”

  
Jongin flushed and he picked up a chocolate, the star looking bigger in his petite hands than it ever would in Sehun’s hands. “I saw this on the menu and decided to order it because you said you don’t like sweet things, and I thought that chocolate and chili was a combination that wouldn’t be too sweet…” He trailed off as he bit the tip of the star and Sehun was more than a little mesmerized by the way Jongin’s eyes fluttered shut as he chewed softly and let out a moan as the taste of the chocolate washed over him. Sehun knew that he wasn’t doing this on purpose, but Sheun just had a feeling that Jongin was seducing him and trying to drive him crazy at the same time.

  
Jongin’s eyes slowly opened after a while and licked his lips the way Sehun did before him, though he looked a little dazed. “Oh, that was wonderful!” He said and within the blink of an eye, he was back to his cute self, the sensuality falling away as he devoured the rest of the chocolate like an eager kid.

  
Huffing out a laugh, Sehun nodded in agreement. “Yeah, this is pretty good,” He said as he reached for another chocolate and bit into it. The surprise of the chili was gone, but the spiciness was just enough to heat up his mouth, only the chocolate soothed it and the dark taste melded with the chocolate. Sehun felt as if he were committing blasphemy just eating the damn thing.

  
The chocolate didn’t last long between the voracious appetites of two young men, but once gone, Sehun was pleasantly full and satisfied. Jongin looked a little crestfallen that the chocolate was gone and Sehun made a mental note to take some to-go for the little blonde.

  
“Jongin,” Sehun said, breaking the silence and making Jongin look up at him with curious eyes, the dark orbs catching the light of the little tea lights strung above them and sparkling beautifully. Suddenly feeling as if he were weighing the moment more heavily than Jongin was, Sehun muttered out his next words in a rush. “ThankyouJongin I’mgladyoucamewithmetoday,Ilikedthisverymuch.”

  
Jongin blinked in surprise, but he smiled softly when he registered Sehun’s words. “You don’t need to thank me Sehun, I’m happy just being near you.”

  
The words made Sehun feel warm and complete, he wanted to be there for Jongin and he wanted to experience new things in life with him, but just when he was going to say something, the waitress came by and she discreetly place the check on the table.

  
“This is just going to be here, take your time, and is there anything else I can get you?” The waitress asked and Sehun shook his head. Jongin didn’t say anything, but he did reach for his pockets, only to pause and bite his lip when he realized that he didn’t have any money on him. He looked up at Sehun guiltily and the older male chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a sleek card. “It’s alright, I’ll pay.”

  
Jongin opened his mouth to protest but Sehun cut him off before he got the chance. “Why don’t you wait in the car while I deal with this?” He said and Jongin reluctantly nodded before he followed Sehun back into the restaurant.

  
Sehun paused long enough to pay for the bill and while he waited for his credit card to be accepted, Sehun heard a faint buzzing. Felling around, Sehun slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his blood freezing and his heart stopping dead as the name lit up the sleek touch screen.

 

**INCOMING CALL:**   
**LUHAN**

 

With shaky fingers, Sehun swiped the screen and cleared his throat before he answered in a cold tone. He really didn’t want to hear Luhan complain right now, not when he had Jongin waiting for him in the car. “Hello?”

  
 _“Sehun! Thank God you answered_ ,” Luhan quickly said and his melodic voice sounded cracked and stressed, so unlike his perfect fiancé that Sehun immediately became alarmed and worried.

  
“Luhan, what’s wrong, are you alright—”

  
“ _S-Sehun please come back to Seoul, I-I need you,”_ Luhan interrupted and Sehun could hear him sniffle, his voice hitching with what Sehun recognized as sadness. Luhan, the picture of composure, was crying over the phone.

  
“Luhan, baby, please tell me what’s going on,” Sehun begged and all thoughts of where he was at the moment faded away at the mere sound of Luhan’s misery.

  
“ _Sehun, i-it’s my f-father, h-he was admitted to the h-hospital two days ago a-annd, he d-died!_ ” And with the admission, Luhan’s composure snapped and he began full out sobbing over the phone, his pain so tangible and raw that it had Sehun’s own eyes prickling with tears.

  
“Hold on Luhan, I’m coming home.” Sehun promised and he realized that he was being selfish, unbelievably selfish for leaving his fiancé behind so close to their wedding. But he was going to own up to his responsibility. Spouse or not, Sehun was going to be there for Luhan and he was _never_ going to stray from his side again, especially not when Luhan needed him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg! Writer's block sucks! I was trying to write this damn thing for over a month now and all I had to do was sit down for a couple hours to type this monstrosity.
> 
> SRSLY!? (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
> 
>  
> 
> Lol, anyway, I had to dig back to my roots and the original goal of this fic to get back on track. This is Sekai, so there shall be SeKai! 
> 
>  
> 
> Please, please comment! I need the motivation right now...
> 
> (´๑•_•๑)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> (BTW, did anyone see Luhan coming? I did ;)


	11. Found and Lost Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chen has asked Jongin to meet him. Since Sehun has been acting strange and he has no other distractions, Jongin readily agrees.

 

 

There was once a time when Jongin got an injury that put him in the hospital for a while. His father went into a panic and he wanted to do everything for Jongin, including carrying him from place to place. He felt a little crowded by the older man, but he still understood that his father had good intentions and love for him, even if he was annoying at the time.

  
One thing Jongin remembered about the entire ordeal was the amount of pain the injury caused him, and later the pain of physical therapy. Yet Jongin wasn’t one to give up easily, and months later when he stood in front of a crowd of more than a hundred people and danced as if his leg weren’t broken the month before, he felt a sense of accomplishment unlike any other.

  
However, that tenacity couldn’t be applied to this marriage situation that he found himself in with Sehun. The older male had been ignoring him, and when Jongin did see him, he acted cold and distant and Jongin wondered if he had done something to upset him. Then of course, he remembered that he had another fiancé waiting back home and he just didn’t want to give Jongin any false hope.

  
Sighing, Jongin took out his phone and began idly playing a game as he waited for Chen to meet up with him at the café that he visited with Chanyeol.

  
Looking out the window, Jongin rested his chin on the palm of his hand. ‘ _Speaking of, I wonder what Chanyeol hyung is doing?’_ He thought idly, playing with the straw of his drink before he shook his head and blew a puff of air to move his bangs out of his eyes. ‘ _Never mind, he’s probably very busy with… whatever he does.’_

  
As if conjured by his mind, Jongin saw a headful of bright red hair from outside the window. Surprised, Jongin watched as Chen popped up behind Chanyeol, along with another man with blonde curly hair. They seemed to be arguing about something and Jongin had to fight back a sympathetic wince when Chen shoved Chanyeol toward to door to the café, almost making him smack into the doorway before he ducked.

  
“You’re insane!” Chanyeol shouted once he entered the café. Chen merely smirked at him, “Of course I am.”

  
The blonde man from before rolled his eyes and strode past both of them, yet when he realized that he didn’t know who they were going to meet, he paused and turned back to Chen with a lost expression on his face. “What exactly does Jongin look like?” He asked.

  
Chen ignored him and looked around the area. When he spotted Jongin, the corner of his lips tilted up in a feline smile. “There you are,” He hummed, bounding up to Jongin in a few quick steps before he slid into the booth next to him and ruffled his hair. “I have some things you may be interested in hearing.”

  
Blinking, Jongin opened his mouth to say more, but Chanyeol was gaping at him.

  
“You’re the one I have to divorce!?” He asked and he looked so incredulous that Jongin found his face burning in embarrassment.

  
“H-hyung, how do you know…?” Jongin asked, clearing his throat and attempting to shove down the vague sense of sadness at the thought of divorcing.

  
Chanyeol took a seat in the booth across from Jongin and Chen, still looking pale but he was at least making a conscious effort to compose himself. “I’m a lawyer, I work for a Las Vegas firm that specializes in divorces and all the things that follow.” He replied, not taking notice of the other man sitting next to him because he was too busy staring at Jongin.

  
“You know it’s not exactly common nor _legal_ for a fifteen year old to be married,” Chanyeol said, his eyes piercing Jongin’s and making the other male shift in his seat uncomfortably.

  
“I-it was a mistake,” Jongin said with a sad frown, not meeting Chanyeol’s eyes as he played with his hands in his lap. “And Sehun has made it clear that he has someone else waiting for him.”

  
Chanyeol fell quiet, not knowing what to say at that. Seeing Jongin’s distress over the situation made him feel guilty for bringing it up. As much as he hated to admit it, Jongin seemed to really care for Sehun, even if the guy didn’t deserve it, after all the jerk was two timing Jongin and the other person he had on the side and Chanyeol really wanted to—

  
“Alrighty, let’s get down to business,” Chen interrupted, looking at Chanyeol meaningfully. “Lucky here has a way to split you and Se-honey.”

  
Jongin blinked at Chen in confusion, “Who’s Lucky?”

  
Chen smirked. “Well-” He began only to be cut off by Chanyeol, who groaned and flopped onto the table dramatically.

  
Jongin startled at the action and his eyes darted from Chen to Chanyeol, neither of whom were paying attention to him.

  
“They’ve been like this since yesterday,” The other man spoke up and he gave Jongin a kind smile, the faint hint of dimples peeking out from his cheeks. “It’s best we leave them to it.”

  
“R-right.” Jongin nodded and he smiled hesitantly, “How exactly do you know Chen and Chanyeol hyung?”

  
“Oh, excuse me, I haven’t introduced myself yet,” The man apologized sweetly, “My name is Zhang Yixing and Chen is—”

  
“His father.” Chen interrupted, his grin so wide that it nearly split his face in half. Yixing made a face and he reached across the table to smack the other male on the head. Chen snickered as he dodged his hand and Yixing huffed before he turned to Jongin with a charming smile.

  
“Don’t listen to this idiot, we’re just cousins.” He then bit his lip and scanned Jongin’s features smoothly, nearly making Jongin flush again. “But you and me, _we could be more.”_ He purred and Chen’s face twisted before a loud thump echoed from under the table.

  
“OW!” Chanyeol yelped and Chen’s muttered under his breath as Yixing gloated from across him. Chanyeol’s petulant whine of “ _Why’d you kick me?_ ” was ignored.

  
“Tch, stupid mutt, aren’t police officers supposed to be moral?” Chen asked, glaring at Yixing, but the other male didn’t even flinch under his withering look.

  
“Yes,” Yixing answered and Jongin wondered what being a police officer was like. “However, I am a detective, and therefore am able to flirt shamelessly. Especially with cuties like _you.”_ He finished with a wink in Jongin’s direction and the blonde ducked his head, his cheeks a flaming red.

  
Chanyeol frowned at the exchange and he was tempted to lash out a Yixing, but Jongin timidly cleared his throat and tried to catch everyone’s attention.

  
“Uhmm, Chen why exactly did you call me here? Did father ask you to look after me again?” The latter question had Jongin scowling, if Minseok did, then that would prove the older man still thought of Jongin as a child who needed a baby sitter.

  
Chen shook his head, “Nope, I came bearing greatly disastrous news my dear Jongin.”

  
He made a grand sweeping gesture with his arms and almost smacked Chanyeol in the process. “I found a detective who would help me track down a lawyer.” He frowned and his eyebrow crinkled as he glanced at Chanyeol and sighed in disappointment. “However, we were only able to snatch Lucky here, though a _real_ lawyer would have been much better.”

  
Chanyeol gave an indignant squawk at the veiled insult and he straightened in his seat. _“Hey!_ I’ll have you know, if I weren’t a specialized lawyer, I’d be qualified for the position of _District Attorney!”_  With that said, he huffed and adjusted the cuff of his wrinkled shirt sleeve, his suit jacket long since lost in his earlier…scuffle with Chen and Yixing.

  
Jongin’s eyes widened and he practically bounced in place, excitement and awe thrumming through him. “Oh, that’s so cool hyung, is that like the lawyer who views cases that are big enough to send to the Senate?”

  
His brown eyes were so wide and innocent that Chanyeol found himself getting flustered under the attention, though he didn’t dislike it at all. “Well to sum it up, yes.” He agreed readily with Jongin, a pleased red blooming on the very tops of his cheekbones. He felt giddy that the younger male took an interest in him and his work.

  
Chen snapped his fingers in front of Chanyeol’s face, blocking the red head’s view of Jongin and effectively interrupting his train of thought. “Hey Lucky, eyes off the prize.” Once he had his attention, Chen leaned back into the booth and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Yixing and Chanyeol. “You tow are so despicable, I should have known dogs like you weren’t to be trusted around my Jonginnie.”

  
Chanyeol spluttered out a vague denial while Yixing laughed in his cousin’s face.

  
Blushing at all the indirect attention, Jongin spoke up. “Please, can we stay on track!” Once everyone quieted down, Jongin took a deep breath and he regarded Chen with wary and slightly resigned eyes. “Chen, why did you bring a lawyer here? And a detective?”

  
Chen blinked and tilted his head, looking like a cat gazing down on humans even though he was the one who had to tilt his head up slightly to meet Jongin’s probing eyes. “I thought it was obvious, I gathered everything you need for a divorce.”

  
The words and the obvious, easy attainability of the divorce cemented the idea into Jongin’s mind and the blonde felt as if the rug were swept from under his feet. “D-divorce...” He murmured softly, looking around and seeing Chanyeol and Yixing both nod in agreement with what Chen had said.

  
 _‘I-it’s finally happening_ ,’ Jongin thought with a feeling close to apprehension and anxiety welling in his chest. ‘ _Sehun would be happy to hear this.’_ The second thought had his throat closing up and a tell-tale burning appear behind his eyelids. He didn’t really want to let Sehun go, but he had no right to keep him. Even if he was his first relationship, first husband, his first kiss, his first night, everything.

  
Chanyeol took notice of the blonde’s sudden silence and he reached across the table to lightly touch his shoulder. “Hey,” he said gently. “Are you alright?”

  
Jongin quickly nodded, blinking rapidly to stop tears from falling. He would never survive the shame of crying in public.

  
Chen patted Jongin on the back and glared at Chanyeol’s hand until the red head got the hint and drew away warily.

  
“So,” Yixing awkwardly began, his earlier playful aura falling away in the face of Jongin’s emotions. “Chanyeol, how do you plan to tie up all loose ends on the legal side of things?” He asked, effectively breaking the tension at the table. He looked around for a waiter and caught the attention of a gossiping waitress with another charmingly dimpled smile.

  
Chanyeol sighed and he ran a hand through his messy red hair, he regretted not grooming a bit when allotted the chance to use the bathroom in Yixing’s house, but it was hard to remember personal hygiene when Chen was beating a pattern on the other side of the door and singing horribly off key on purpose.

  
“The divorce laws in Las Vegas are a little strange, the sentencing mostly depends on the judge present and of the quality of the lawyers involved.” Chanyeol frowned in concentration and his eyes darted to Jongin. “But in this case, we don’t really need a judge. The marriage between Jongin and Sehun is unlawful because one of the grooms is a minor, however the tricky part of this is the fact that I have yet to see a marriage license.” If Chanyeol could see the official document, he could track down the priest and the witnesses to the entire affair and from there on, he just had to get their account of the night. That would show Jongin and Sehun went through the notions of being married, and with some tweaking and maneuvering, Chanyeol could prove that Jongin was a minor at the time of the marriage, therefore nullifying the marriage and effectively “divorcing” the young couple.

  
However, all things were not that simple in life. Even if Chanyeol did manage to end the marriage and render the license useless, there was the problem with the legal consequences of the ceremony. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place and if the worst case scenario occurred, Sehun would be prosecuted and thrown in jail, the priest who married them would lose their license, and even the witnesses of the wedding would be held accountable.

  
“I didn’t even know we had to have a license.” Jongin said and Chanyeol was drawn out of his complicated musings by his sweet, lilting tone. Seeing the expression on the lawyer’s face, Jongin bit into his bottom lip in worry and he hesitantly brushed his blonde bangs out of his eyes. “I-I think Sehun may know more about it, but he… has been busy lately.”

  
Yixing picked up on the slight hesitation in his sentence and he leaned toward the table eagerly. “Oh really? What has he been up to? Long calls at night, random walks, flimsy excuses?” Jongin startled at the barrage of questions and he didn’t even have a chance to reply when Yixing began speaking again. “Those are the first warning signs, and with every case, there’s always some dissatisfied spouse found cheating. Some are so clumsy as well,” He paused and hummed thoughtfully to himself. “Is there a possibility that Sehun is _cheating_ on you?”

  
Jongin shook his head and waved his hands around in a flustered manner. “N-no! It’s nothing like that, Sehun has been honest with me about his other fiancé.” Once Yixing deflated, Jongin chuckled tonelessly and tilted his head down so that he could play with his fingers again, twisting them over and over. “If anything, I think I’m ‘ _The Other Woman,'_ or manin this case.” With a painful self-depreciating laugh, Jongin finally looked up and was startled to see three pairs of concerned eyes already looking at him.

  
“He doesn’t deserve you anyway, that two timing snake,” Chanyeol hissed and he looked genuinely furious for Jongin’s sake.

  
Yixing nodded along with the taller male and he reached across the booth to take both of Jongin’s hands in his. “Jongin, you are kind, you are smart, you are important and _beautiful—”_

  
“Shut it with the movie misquotes!” Chen interrupted with an irritated huff and a deep scowl on his face as he shoved Yixing’s away from Jongin, even going as far as slapping the curly headed blonde’s hands away as well. Yixing grumbled some curses in mandarin and he stuck his tongue out at Chen childishly. His cousin’s behavior had rubbed off on him the past few days and Yixing was finally rejoicing at the chance to annoy the other male for once.

  
Jongin watched the cousins argue, Chanyeol chiming in halfway with his booming voice and the blonde unconsciously giggled. Immediately all three older males stopped what they were doing and they turned to watch Jongin burst into a fit of laughter, his peals of startled happiness making them smile unconsciously. A smile suited him much more than a frown did.

  
“Wait, how am I going to tell Sehun?” Jongin asked with a pensive expression on his face. “I think I saw him getting ready to leave before I could catch him.”

  
Chen immediately perked up, “Let’s bag him and run—”

  
 _“NO!”_ Yixing and Chanyeol shouted simultaneously, traumatized expressions on their face. Chen made a huffing noise and he crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat with a petulant tilt to his lips that made him appear to pout.

  
Jongin smiled and he shifted a bit in his seat, pulling out his phone and immediately unlocking the screen. The background of his phone was a picture taken of him and Sehun, their faces painted beautifully. “Don’t worry, I can call him.” Jongin said, though he didn’t mention Sehun’s recent habit of ignoring his calls and texts.

  
“Ah, that makes this so much easier then,” Yixing said with a sagely nod. Chen snickered at him and flicked a crumpled napkin at his face.

  
Chanyeol merely chewed the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth shut as he watched Jongin nervously listen to the dial tone of the ongoing call. He did not know why, but he had a feeling that they were too late.

  
“ _Hello_ ,” A deep voice crackled over the line and Jongin brightened in his seat.

  
“Sehun! Listen I—”

  
“ _You’ve reached Oh Sehun, I am currently on a plane to Seoul, so leave a message and I will call back as soon as I am able_.” Faint beeping reached the ears of everyone present and Jongin’s face paled, his expression drooping and his eyes dimming.

  
“Oh no,” Jongin muttered faintly, turning to Chen with wide frantic eyes. “Chen, what do we do now?”

  
The older man for once didn’t have anything to say, his expression falling into something scarily serious. Yixing stayed quiet, not really knowing anyone well enough to offer advice or comfort, so Chanyeol spoke up.

  
“Now we track down Sehun, and make him sign some divorce papers before he screws over someone else.” When everyone looked at him in surprise, Chanyeol smiled reassuringly and folded his hands in his lap, attempting to embody serenity and confidence. “At least, that’s what I think we should do.”

  
There was no other option readily available, so what choice did they have really? The others all had the same thought and agreed eagerly. They were going to Seoul.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, I'm back? (ᵕ≀ ̠ᵕ )
> 
> Anyway, sorry for all the hiatus/discontinued confusion. I was supposed to be shipped off somewhere for the Marines, but I have a lot of hoops to jump through first. ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ
> 
> Feel free to yell about the story in the comments, I'll be around writing for a while longer! ☜(⌒▽⌒)☞


	12. Tie My Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sehun settles back into life in Seoul, but trouble from Las Vegas follows him and he discovers something about Yifan that shocks him.

 

 

Sehun took a deep breath.

 

 

Before him was the door of a penthouse flat, the security keypad attached to the right of the door was lit up a bright red and it felt as if the little spot of color were staring him down, daring him to enter the key pin and turn the light green.

 

 

‘ _Why the hell am I hesitating?_ ’ Sehun thought to himself with a sigh of frustration as he ran a hand through his thick dark hair. He had kept his promise to Luhan, he was here, however he had left some very inconvenient loose ends behind in Las Vegas and he felt uneasy about the situation. It felt as if the things he’d done in America would follow him to Korea and he was not sure he would be able to handle things if his instincts were right.

 

 

‘ _Aish, I should just forget it!’_ Sehun finally thought in exasperation, mentally pushing aside all his memories of the last week as he steeled himself and began entering the code into the key pad. Luckily Luhan hadn’t changed it since the last time he was in Seoul and after a few moments, the door swung open and Sehun entered the dark flat with cautious steps.

 

 

“Luhan?” He called out, squinting into the dark while his fingers groped the wall in search of a light switch. After a few attempts, soft light illuminated the hallway and Shun toed off his shoes by the door, seeing Luhan’s smaller shoes already placed neatly in the shoe rack by the door.

 

 

‘ _If he’s home, then why is it so dark in here?_ ’ Sehun thought as he walked past the living room, the familiar black and white décor of the furniture greeting him as he passed by. There was another hallway that led to two bedrooms, an office, and a guest bathroom. The master suite was at the very end of the hall and Sehun relied on memory to guide him through the twenty-five paces it took to reach the door. Luhan had picked the room specifically for himself and he took a lot of time decorating it and moving his things around, choosing the most flattering colors to go with the view of the skyline form the tenth floor.

 

 

Opening the door softly, Sehun saw the master bed, decorated in lush silk red sheets, but what caught his attention was the small lump visible in the middle of the bed.

 

 

“Luhan,” Sehun called softy, not hesitating to shed his suit jacket and carelessly throw it to the floor as he made his way toward the bed. He would probably be reprimanded for it later, but he was focused on the way the sheets shifted and a head full of blonde hair emerged from the small cocoon of blankets.

 

 

Blinking, Luhan winced at the light spilling into the room from the hallway and Sehun wished he shut the door behind him before he slipped into the bed and curled around Luhan’s willowy frame. “ _Hey_ ,” Luhan said, his voice a little rough from overuse. His round eyes were tinged a pale red and he had dark circles under his eyes, he looked frail and the pale and unhealthy hue of his lips and skin clued Sehun in to just how his father’s death was affecting his fiancé.

 

 

Luhan used a slim hand to smooth the worried line between Sehun’s forehead and he gave a vague semblance of a smile when Sehun made an affronted noise. “Stop looking so frowny, I want a handsome husband,” Luhan joked, his raspy voice taking on a more amused quality as he snuggled closer to Sehun and just allowed the comfort of another body sink into his form.

 

 

“Hey, even if I frown, I am still handsome enough to be on the cover of vogue.” Sehun said in a mocking growl, drawing Luhan closer within his arms and letting his chin rest on the crown of his headful of blonde curls.

 

 

Luhan made a huffing noise that was an imitation of a laugh and Sehun smiled in victory. “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that we’ll be married soon,” Luhan hummed, his tone becoming a bit more light and teasing. “Someone would probably have snatched you up if I wasn’t so quick.”

 

 

Sehun ignored the pang of guilt he felt at the empty space on his ring finger, but he hid it by schooling his expression into one of offense. “You snatched me up!?” He pulled away from Luhan and he continued with a small pout on his lips when he saw wide eyes meeting his. They were a different color than the deep chocolate he’d gotten used to in Las Vegas, but Luhan’s’ familiar hazel was almost calming in a way. “I remember proposing to you three times and you turned me down _twice_.”

 

 

Luhan laughed for real this time and Sehun le the sound wash over him. It wasn’t as hearty as someone else he knew, nor as deep and infectious, but he still felt accomplished for making someone who usually had iron control let loose and enjoy the moment.

 

 

“I remember,” Luhan interrupted, pulling Sehun out of his thoughts as he gently traced random patterns on his arm with a slim finger. “Your face when I turned you down the first time was so funny, you looked like someone had told you that your haircut was crooked.”

 

 

Sehun frowned, “Of course I did, you were supposed to say yes to the ‘ _wining and dining,_ _ring in the champagne glass’_ tradition.” It was not very difficult to arrange the entire dinner, money does talk, but Sehun spent the dinner trying to awkwardly hide his nervousness as he prayed that the staff didn’t screw up and send the glass at the wrong time, or to the wrong table. His heart was almost ready to burst when the time came to pop the question, yet Sehun wasn’t too nervous, he thought he knew Luhan would say yes.

 

 

Luhan scoffed and his hand stilled on Sehun’s arm. “I was so mortified when you got down on one knee that I just froze up and blurted out no.” He said and Sehun stilled, Luhan hadn’t ever told him that before. “But then the next thing I knew, you were putting the ring back and then standing up. I thought you were going to leave, but you told me that you’d find a better ring and propose again at another time.”

 

 

Sehun felt somewhat flustered at his younger self’s brashness, but he hid it with a chuckle. “And when I did propose again, you said it was too soon and told me to come ask again in a year.”

 

 

“I did,” Luhan agreed. “But I didn’t exactly expect you to actually remember to do it.” Luhan had assumed Sehun would give up and leave before a year ended, but Sehun surprised him with another question. At the time, he was more pleasantly surprised than anything and he decided that since Sheun had proven his dedication, that he would agree to become his fiancé. There was no real reason to refuse him again and it helped that they had sort of evolved from business acquaintances to friends while they dated. It was more than Luhan and Sehun were expecting when their parents had arranged for them to come across one another in a marriage meeting.

 

 

Sehun’s train of thought was somewhere along Luhan’s, though he was wondering if his past self had proposed out of need to fulfill his family expectations or out of love for Luhan. It was something he had been subconsciously considering in Las Vegas, he did feel some affection for Luhan and as a young man with no prior experience, there might have been a chance that he had mistaken the warmth for something more. But how could he not? Luhan was charming when he wanted to be, he wasn’t too bad to look at, his parents and his future in laws approved of their marriage and Sehun himself wasn’t opposed to marrying someone who had said no to him not once, but twice. Luhan was the perfect marriage candidate and he was intriguing to the impressionable young Sehun.

 

 

However, Sehun didn’t voice any of his concerns and merely held Luhan closer, allowing the other male to think of something other than death for a while. After all, that’s all he was here for, _Luhan_.

 

 

 

 

-0-

 

 

 

 

Being back in a city where English characters were used for aesthetics rather than practicality was a little jarring, but Sehun found himself feeling relieved to be back. This was a city he was born and raised in, he knew people here, he knew his way around, and he knew the language better than he did the European languages and phrases he had learned for business purposes. It was home.

 

 

The streets were crowed in familiarity and the smell of sweet honey was faintly permeated the air, winter was nearing and fall was slipping away. Unfortunately Sehun had to stay cooped up in an office all day. When he was a child, he often snuck off to wander down the streets, the sights and smells of the surrounding area always made things a fascinating adventure.

 

 

That all melted away in one of the tallest buildings in Seoul, where the people looked like ants from his floor and the individuals employed in his building were too busy to look out the window. The familiar posh hallway and harried looking secretaries and business men walking into meeting rooms and leaving the coffee machine area greeted Sehun once he entered the building.

 

 

One of the doormen on the floor acknowledged him with a nod that Sehun returned as he weaved his way around rushed people and reached the private elevator located right behind the receptionist’s desk. The Oh Company was a huge responsibility for anyone, but Sehun had been groomed to be the head of the company and he took most things in stride. He rarely had to ask for advice and Shun prided himself on being self-sufficient, hence one of the reasons he had his own driver’s license, even if he did insist that he walk to work by himself.

 

 

With no queues for the elevator, Sehun easily pressed a button to open the doors and enter the small box. The doors closed behind him and soft music played that had Sehun furrowing his eyebrows and promising to change it when he had the chance. As it were, he was kind of dreading heading back to his too large office, surrounded by the ticking of his clock and the quiet hum of his laptop.

 

 

However, before he could open the door to his office, it flew open and the face of Luhan’s cousin started back at him in surprise.

 

 

“Oh hey, when did you get back?” Yifan asked, easily sliding aside and letting Sehun enter his own office as he followed behind the younger male.

 

 

Sehun sighed and sat at his desk after setting his suit jacket over the rigid back of it. “Luhan called me and told me about his father’s passing, so I booked the soonest flight from Las Vegas to Seoul.”

 

 

Yifan nodded and for once his expression was somber. “Yeah, things have sucked for him since that happened, and it was so sudden that I think he’s kind of stuck in a slump now, not quite believing it happened but grieving at the same time.”

 

 

Sehun made a noise of agreement. Yifan had summed it all up perfectly. Since finding Luhan in a vulnerable state the night before, he wanted to stay and take care of Luhan, but Sehun was chased out the door and told to get back to his company before it crashed without him. Despite the desperate call he receive back in America, Luhan seemed intent on chasing Sehun away. It honestly threw the black haired male for a loop, so he just went along with Luhan’s wishes, not wanting to upset him further after the death of his father.

 

 

“So how are thing with the wedding coming along?” Yifan’s voice interrupted Sehun’s musings and the young CEO had to shake his thoughts off to focus on his soon to be cousin in law.

 

 

“Things are good,” Sehun replied in faux breeziness, his eyes darting down to his ring finger in paranoia, his replica silver ring had replaced the matching golden one he had bought with Jongin in Las Vegas while drunk. “Never mind me though, how are things going with you and your engagement?”

 

 

Yifan rolled his eyes, “Things are so strange. The kid’s father wanted to wait until my supposed future match was eighteen, but then they cut off the contract and sent us a threat.” Yifan paused and he smiled and laughed in glee, his loud booming voice filling the silence of Sehun’s office. “Oh man, you should have seen it, my father was so pissed that a vein popped in his forehead. If I wasn’t sure that I didn’t want to get married, I would have loved to know my future father in law, he sounds like a son of a bitch with balls made of steel.” He cackled some more while Sehun made a face.

 

 

Yifan was nothing like Luhan, he was rich, yes. However, Yifan hated acting like the rest of his family, he had once proclaimed to Sehun that they were all sheep and then he labeled himself a dragon, stating that he wasn’t going to let anyone hold him back from “ _doing whatever the fuck I want.”_ Unfortunately, Sehun and Yifan weren’t alone and the taller male ended up making a scene at a soiree thrown for Luhan and Sehun’s engagement. Yifan’s father had looked so furious and embarrassed while his mother looked absolutely scandalized. They were honestly nice people, if a little fastidious and overbearing, but Sehun was on their good side so he didn’t completely understand how devilish they could be. Or so Yifan had said.

 

 

“So you’re here to relay a story or are you here to shirk your responsibilities?” Shun asked, leaning back into his desk chair and sending Luhan’s cousin a knowing smile. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say that you’re awfully afraid of marriage for someone who watches—”

 

 

“Hey!” Yifan interrupted, holding a hand out to cut Sehun off before he could finish the sentence. The tips of his ears were red and he looked ready to bury himself six feet under and never resurface again. “I thought we agreed not to reveal the secrets we give one another while indisposed.”

 

 

Sehun scoffed, “You mean _inebriated_?”

 

 

“Yes that too,” Yifan agreed so seriously that Sehun rolled his eyes.

 

 

“Is there a particular reason you’re here?” He finally settled for asking, his eyes already reluctantly drifting to the stack of paper work that was awaiting him on one corner of his desk. Sehun had prepared for his trip ahead of time, but being away for nearly a week was setting him behind on all the miscellaneous updates and problems of the company and he was sorely regretting taking time out of his schedule to humor a business partner who didn’t bother to meet him at the agreed upon time and place.

 

 

“Does there need to be a reason for me to visit my future _little_ _brother_?” Yifan asked, crossing his arms with a small huff.

 

 

Sehun cringed, “Please don’t _ever_ call me that, I prefer not to remember that I’m related to the man who once climbed down a fire escape naked.”

 

 

Yifan threw his hands up in the air and made a low groan of frustration. “Is nothing sacred anymore!? You weren’t supposed to mention that until I was dead and you were reading my eulogy.”

 

 

“Please, if I wanted to waste a perfectly good speech, I would have convinced you to go back to school.” Sehun teased, taking great joy in teasing Yifan and watching the other male get more and more riled up.

 

 

“Alright, fine! Be that way, I’ll go procrastinate elsewhere,” Yifan muttered, turning away with a glower. Sehun laughed and gestured for Yifan to take a seat on the recliner he had placed in his office by the window so he could take a nap when pulling all-nighters. “Sit down already, I swear you can be as dramatic as Luhan sometimes.”

 

 

Yifan did sit on what he liked to call Sehun’s psychiatrist chair, but he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Sehun. “Don’t compare us, I have a legitimate reason for the things I do.”

 

 

Sehun raised an eyebrow and Yifan groaned as he flopped back into the reclined seat and threw his arm over his eyes. “My father got a call from my future father in law, and the old man actually swallowed his pride and renegotiated my marriage with that kid from America.”

 

 

Sehun made a vague noise of agreement, thumbing through the paper work on his desk and starting to separate the relevant papers from shredder food. “Really? I thought the other family broke it off and insulted your father, usually that’d be enough to have anyone blacklisted in his eyes.” Sehun said, remembering what Yifan had said earlier.

 

 

“That’s exactly what I thought!” Yifan exclaimed and Sehun didn’t have to look away from his desk to know that the other man was scowling. “But since uncle has passed on, my father has been feeling the pressure as the temporary head of the company, and without Luhan to add in, my father wants me to step up and get married so that I can help him.”

 

 

Sehun pursed his lips in thought and he looked back up at Yifan. “You know, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you got married, cut down on your partying, and actually helped instead of leeching off your parent’s money.”

 

 

Yifan gasped and he sat up, shooting Sehun a betrayed look. “How dare you! Wu Yifan is _not_ about that life!”

 

 

 Sehun snorted, “What life? A responsible one? A _normal_ one?”

 

 

“Yes exactly!” Yifan agreed, “I don’t want to live a boring life, working eight hours a day, five days a week, only to home to a husband I can barely stand with a bunch of adopted kids running around the place. I mean come on, how can anyone expect me to become a father of some kid I didn’t get to enjoy putting in someone?”

 

 

Sehun grabbed a useless piece of paper, wadded it up, and then threw it at Yifan’s face, effectively hitting the older male on the nose. “Will you stop complaining? And what’s so wrong with wanting a life like that huh?” Yifan had practically described Sehun’s future and the way he spoke about it, as if it were a miserable trap, made Sehun feel….complicated emotions. If he had to put a name to it, it was a mix of apprehension, anxiety, and indignation. His plan for the future wasn’t that horrible, was it?

 

 

“Whatever, just let me hide here for the next few days and I swear I won’t tell Luhan what you did in Las Vegas.”

 

 

Sehun felt as if ice water was thrown down the back of his shirt and he whipped his head to look at Yifan so fast that the other man gave him a worried look. “ _What!?”_

 

 

“Hey chill, if having a bachelor party really bothered you that much, I won’t say anything.” Yifan promised, his coal black eyes looking at Sehun in faint worry. “Are you alright?” He asked, suddenly feeling guilty for not asking before he started unloading his problems onto Sehun.

 

 

Sehun breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into his desk, the cold sweat on his skin making him feel slightly sick. “It’s nothing, I just think I still have jet lag.”

 

 

Yifan relaxed and he laid back on the lounge. “Good, because I want to complain some more about this Kim Jongin I’m supposed to marry.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Drink because I can't yet ;)
> 
> And don't forget New Year resolutions and kisses at midnight <3


	13. Sugar, Sugar

 

 

Yifan was fidgeting in place and Sehun resisted the urge to hit him. He was somehow roped into following Luhan’s cousin to act as some kind of chaperone to him and Jongin, but even thinking the blonde’s name had Sehun wishing that it wasn’t him because Yifan was there. And if it were Jongin, then that meant he came all the way to Korea not for Sehun, but for some _other_ man. He didn’t know why that made him feel so conflicted, even though he did the same thing to Jongin, leaving for someone else.

 

  
“Oh my god, I don’t think I can do this,” Yifan muttered and when Sehun looked at him, he saw a panicked expression on his face.  
The sight of his usually unfazed and often crude friend so nervous had Sehun softening slightly in sympathy. Still, Sehun harshly pinched Yifan’s side and when the older male yelped and shot him a wounded glance, Sehun hissed at him. “Calm down, you’re just meeting each other, not eloping!”

 

  
Yifan made a face that was close to a pout and Sehun wanted to pinch him again, but finally the Chinese male nodded and his eyes steeled in something close to determination. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just a meeting.”

 

Sehun rolled his eyes and he opened his mouth to say more, but he watched as Yifan’s expression morphed from one of grim resolve to shock and then star-struck awe. Dreading turning around, Sehun looked over his shoulder and he felt his breath catch a little.

 

  
Jongin was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, his eyes focused on the person standing next to him, Chen. The smaller man was saying something and his familiar sharp eyes picked Sehun out immediately from the flurry of activity surrounding the other tables. However, Sehun was focused on the blonde at his side.

 

  
He was wearing something that Yifan’s father most likely sent him, considering it was an opulent take on traditional Chinese style clothing. His red shirt was embroidered with golden dragons, intertwined with matching glimmering chrysanthemums and paired with slim fitting black silk pants. The buttons of the collar matched the delicate embroidery, the red silk of the entire shirt was pretty with Jongin’s glowy golden skin tone and Sehun faintly registered that the sleeves of his shirt were too long. They stopped mid palm and the peek of his small hands under the fabric was unmistakably Jongin and _cute_.

 

  
However, the faint appreciative noise that Yifan made at his side had Sehun feeling unsettled. It didn’t help that at the moment Jongin’s eyes met his, they widened in surprise, the familiar mocha brown of his irises making him feel warm and tingly. Then they moved slightly to the right and Sehun had to swallow around a lump when he watched Yifan and Jongin make eye contact.

 

Yifan looked as if he found the reason the sun rose every morning, his dark eyes never leaving Jongin’s form as he and Chen walked to their table. What was worse for Sehun was the fact that Jongin looked… _Intrigued_.

 

  
Just the sight of the two was enough for Sehun to feel irritated.

 

  
“So you must be the wayward Party Dragon?” Chen asked with a raised brow as soon as he reached the table. Yifan was still out of it, but he came back to the moment when Sehun stomped on his foot under the table, hard enough to have the man make a small surprised whimper, turning red in embarrassment when Jongin caught the sound and giggled.

 

  
“U-uhm, yes?”

 

  
Chen smirked at the sight, his eyes darting to Sehun’s sour face with a glint in his eyes. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, sorry about the earlier…present sent back to your home. I was under extreme stress at the time.” He explained, pulling out Jongin’s chair for him and waiting for the blonde to sit down elegantly before he pushed the chair in and took his own seat at his side.

 

  
Yifan blinked at him in confusion before understanding crossed his face. “Oh that? Don’t worry about it, I enjoyed watching the old man have kittens over it.”

 

  
“Kittens?” Jongin piped up, his eyes practically sparkling at the mention of the furry little terrors. Yifan seemed startled at the tone of his voice, something thick and heady but still slightly high pitched with childishness.

 

  
Yifan shifted in his seat and Sehun really wanted to maybe push him out of his seat and have Jongin look at him the same way. “Y-yeah, the box made my father really angry, though he doesn’t like cats so I was just, uhm, using the saying, figuratively you know? Ah yeah.”

 

  
Hearing him ramble on so awkwardly, Sehun smirked and chuckled, Yifan was floundering so bad that Jongin was looking at his red face with half amusement and half worry. Yifan sent him a flustered and angry look, but Sehun ignored him in favor of turning to Jongin, surprised to see that the blonde already had his eyes trained on him.

 

  
“So Kim-ssi, what brings you to the wonderful nation of the flower, Korea?” At the use of the honorific and his last name, Jongin opened his mouth in surprise and Yifan made a strangled noise at the sight. Shun was tempted to kick him again, because wasn’t he ogling a kid a little more than half his age?

 

“W-well, my father insisted that if traveling was something I wanted to do, I had to meet with my…fiancé and at least g-get to know him.” Jongin managed to stutter out, his eyes showing his perplexity at the situation. Sehun was almost acting as if he didn’t know who he was.

 

  
Chen chose that moment to speak up. “Why are _you_ here? I wasn’t aware that the Wu family had two sons.” His mouth curled up at the edges and Sehun was reminded of the cat that used to terrorize him with sharp claws and teeth when he was little.

 

  
“Oh no,” Sehun merely replied calmly, shaking his head and looking back at Yifan with a critical gaze. “I could never be related to this awkward skyscraper, I am Oh Sehun, CEO of the Oh Corporation.”

 

  
Jongin was staring at him and Sehun avoided giving into the urge to shift in his seat uncomfortably. The new introduction was making him feel as if he were alienating himself from everyone he knew back in Las Vegas, but he could not possibly tell anyone in Seoul that he was briefly married to a minor and never divorced. At that thought, Sehun looked back down at his ring and Jongin followed the movement. The golden ring he’d worn in America was gone and replaced with a silver band. Jongin’s face fell and Sehun tamped down the guilt he felt, knowing that he couldn’t take anything back, not now when he had a life to put together and set in motion in Seoul.

 

  
“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Oh-ssi.” Jongin replied and the lack of his name or even a term of endearment had Sehun’s gut twisting in uneasiness. With a fake appearance to keep, Sehun muttered out a polite reply, but Jongin had already turned from him and he was studying Yifan. The light snub had Sehun feeling a sting in his chest, but it was not something he was allowed to be completely upset about, he did deserve it for putting the younger blonde through so much trouble.

 

  
“May I call you hyung?” Jongin asked and with the way he had to look up to meet Yifan’s eyes, he appeared so innocent and humble that Sehun was sure Yifan was feeling the need to squish the younger in a hug and coo over him.

 

  
“Yes, absolutely!” Yifan replied and he nodded enthusiastically, a wide smile making its way onto his face. “But In return, I get to call you Sugar, because you look so sweet.” He added a wink and Jongin blushed and ducked his head, not knowing what to say to something like _that_.

 

  
Sehun felt horrified and at the same time slightly embarrassed and just a little irked. Yifan was the sleaziest flirt of all time, and to make it worse, his words were affecting Jongin.

 

  
“I-I, uhm, I don’t m-mind hyung,” Jongin stuttered, his red cheeks matching the shimmery red silk he was wearing. He was slightly curled in on himself and his petite hands were twisting in his lap, nearly disappearing from sight under the sleeves of his collared shirt. From this angle, Sehun could see just how long and dark his eyelashes were as he pointedly avoided looking up. His golden colored hair was making a soft halo around his face and Sehun wondered if Jongin were always so brightly colored. In the lights of Las Vegas, he blended into the colorful scene and he had no problem being himself and still managing to shine. But in the more muted colors of a busy city like Seoul, Jongin stood out with his golden hair and his warm skin tone, his clothes also added to the lively display of color and Sehun had trouble keeping his eyes away from the burst of vibrant life that was Jongin.

 

  
Unfortunately, he was also aware that Yifan was looking as well, so Sehun cleared his throat and tried changing the subject. He would rather gouge out his eyes than watch his cousin-in-law try to get Jongin to like him.  
“Now that the introductions are out of the way, Jongin—”

 

  
“Please refer to me by my surname Mr. Oh.” Jongin interrupted, his usually warm eyes cold as he met Sehun’s surprised stare. “I do not feel comfortable having a _stranger_ refer to me so familiarly.” He added, looking away from Sehun with a tiny frown bringing down the corner of his mouth. Sehun only caught a glimpse of hurt within Jongin’s eyes and he now knew that the younger was angry at him, and there were many things Sehun did that warranted his coldness.

 

  
So Sehun bowed his head, “I apologize, I did not intend to make you uncomfortable.” He said, straightening in place once he was finished. Jongin still wasn’t looking at him, so he sighed and internally wished that there was something he could do to make it all better.

 

  
Chen appeared amused at the situation while Yifan narrowed his eyes at Sehun, silently wondering why he was acting so strange in front of his future husband.

 

  
“Well, I never did get around to introducing myself,” Chen said, reveling in the attention when all eyes turned his way. “I am Chen, Jongin’s personal guard and temporary guardian during the duration of his visit in Seoul.”

 

  
Since introductions were gling around, Yifan opened his mouth, “I am—”

 

  
“Alrighty back to business,” Chen interrupted, not at all bothered by Yifan’s offended expression. “Minseokkie has expressly forbidden Jongin from fulfilling the entire marriage contract, but he is allowed to go through with the ceremony and take the Wu surname. In exchange, the El Dorado casino and the surrounding property will be handed down to his spouse when his father retires. I believe the Wu family is aware of what is expected of them?”

 

  
Yifan’s serious expression was a contrast to his usual light hearted self and Sehun found that he wanted nothing more than to leave when he was reminded of the reason he was even sitting at a table with Jongin. He was going to marry Yifan and Sehun was going to marry Luhan.

 

  
A waitress came and took their orders, Sehun mumbling something he couldn’t remember because he was too busy frowning at Jongin, feeling unhappy that the distance between them had grown to a gap because Sehun had pushed him away from himself.

 

  
While waiting for their orders, Yifan turned to Jongin with a curious expression. “So Sugar,” The nickname made Jongin’s cheeks stay tinted red, though he seemed a little pleased that someone was being nice to him. “What’s it like living in the States?”

 

  
Jongin moved to push his hair out of his eyes and he seemed relieved at the simple question. “W-well I was born there, so I’m not used to this…” He gestured with a sweep of his hand around the restaurant and Sehun looked at the place with new eyes. The tables were set low, and there were a lot of spring and summer themed decorations, mainly expensive and elaborate flower arrangements. It wasn’t too different from things in America in Sehun’s opinion, but maybe it was the quiet atmosphere or the constant stares Jongin received for his bright clothing and his blonde hair.

 

  
Yifan merely hummed and he leaned closer to Jongin. “So is high school in America really as crazy as it is in the movies?” The topic piqued Yifan’s curiosity even further and he eagerly watched Jongin. “Is there really a party _every_ night?”

 

  
Jongin giggled and he shook his head, “No! Of course not!” He replied with a bright smile, not noticing the way Yifan tracked the way he bit his lips to try and calm down. “That’s just an exaggeration of the media, my school is a boring private school. The last exciting thing we did was have a modern remake of Romeo and Juliet.”

 

  
“Romeo and Juliet?” Yifan asked, confusion evident in the way he furrowed his eyebrows and frowned.

 

  
Sehun scoffed and he reached up to flick the giant in the ear. “It’s a Shakespearean play, idiot.” Yifan slapped his offending hand away, the tips of his ears burning under Jongin’s surprised gaze and Sehun’s mocking eyes.

 

  
“Shut up! I knew that,” He growled.

 

  
“Right,” Sehun rolled his eyes, with a smirk he made eye contact with Jongin and he leaned forward as if to whisper to him. “This guy had never once paid attention to his poor tutor, so you’ll be saddled with someone who needs a _lot_ of extra help.”

 

  
Jongin gave him a tense smile and he subtly leaned away from him. The lack of Jongin’s usual cheeriness and amiable attitude was enough to have Sehun feeling cold, his heart stinging slightly.

 

  
“Well, that’s just fine Mr. Oh,” Jongin hummed and he playfully batted his eyelashes at Yifan, who looked as if he were going into cardiac arrest at the sight of so much aegyo contained within one person. “I happen to be a very patient person.”

 

  
Chen hid a laugh behind a cough at what Sehun assumed was at his expense because the temporary guard was looking straight at him when he spoke around a feline smirk. “He’s also a very fast learner, I bet _Wufan_ could teach him a thing or two.” Sehun blinked and he didn’t know how he felt about the blatant innuendo, his mind automatically flashing back to the first time he saw Jongin dancing as if he were already debauched in the middle of the club.

 

  
Luckily Yifan was dumb and he only opened his mouth to correct Chen’s mispronounciation of his name, but Jongin was innocently nodding along and smiling brightly, “Of course, there’s _so much_ I haven’t yet learned about Korea. I wouldn’t mind if you helped me, hyung.”

 

  
Yifan actually blushed as he choked out an agreement. Sehun was feeling torn between wanting to be sympathetic to the older man and wanting to smack some sense into him. And while he was at it, he would settle for sewing his eyes shut. He was studying Jongin a little too closely for Sehun’s liking.

 

  
His morbid musings were cut short, however, when Chen loudly smacked his hands in a clap and began rubbing them together like some sleazy hustler. “Great! Since you’ll be helping out, we’ll be staying with you, young master Wu.”

 

  
Sehun sputtered before Yifan could and he ignored the few side glances sent his way in favor of staring at Jongin and Chen incredulously. “You’re staying with _him_!?”

 

  
“Hey!” Came Yifan’s offended reply, but Sehun wasn’t thinking about his cousin just yet, his mind was stuck on the fact that Jongin would be staying with some other man.

 

  
Jongin’s brown eyes met his for a moment before he frowned and looked at Chen suspiciously. “I thought dad- _father_ arranged a place for us to stay?”

 

  
Chen put on a mock sad face as he heaved a sigh. “He did, but I lost track of all our contact information at the airport.”

 

  
“What!?” Jongin gasped in soft disbelief, his mouth falling open with the action. “W-what about our passports and visas?”

 

  
Chen looked unbothered as he nodded and scratched his cheek. “Yeah, they’re gone too. It’s almost as if they all grew legs and walked away…”

 

  
Jongin looked inconsolable as he blinked away tears. It was beyond frightening to be stuck in a foreign country with no real papers, or anything that proved who he was. Sehun wanted to say something comforting, maybe offer to contact the local embassy, but Yifan had beat him to it by reaching across the table and clasping one of Jongin’s small hands within his own.

 

  
“It’s alright Sugar, you can stay with me while things are sorted out. And I’m sure that if you did lose your things, it can be recovered at the airport.” His eyes were soft and Sehun was surprised to see a new side to his soon to be cousin. The man was nothing if not an idiot who plays around too much, but at the moment, he looked like someone who was mature and reliable.

 

  
Jongin’s usual smile came back and he looked less worried as he shyly thanked Yifan for offering two near strangers his home for an unknown period of time.  
The sight of the two still holding hands made Sehun’s stomach churn uncomfortably again, but before he could move to excuse himself, a sharp kick was delivered to him from under the table. Hissing, Sehun resisted the urge to hold his shin in pain as he faced Chen with a glare and a scowl.

 

  
The man was unbothered by Sehun’s irritation and his smirk was more jagged and deranged than usual. _Fix this now._ He mouthed and he looked pointedly at Jongin and Yifan, who pulled away from one another in a fluster just as the waitress placed tall glasses of iced water on the table. _Or else._ He then narrowed his eyes at Sehun and threateningly glowered at him, rudely reminding Sehun that Chen was in fact, deeply involved in mafia affairs.

 

  
Sitting up abruptly, Sehun caught Jongin’s eyes with what he hoped was an earnestly pleading gaze. “Excuse me,” He began, suddenly floundering for an excuse to be alone with Jongin when he felt the inquiring look Yifan was sending him. “I know someone at the, uhm… airport. Jongin, would you please come with me?”

 

  
It was a weak ploy and Sehun was sure that even someone as thick as Yifan would grow suspicious, but even so, Sehun didn’t retract his offer. When all Jongin did was offer a small nod in return, Sehun felt a slight anxiety overtake him.

 

  
_‘What am I doing!? I can’t have someone suspect we know one another!_ ’ He chastised himself as he led Jongin down to a more secluded area of the restaurant, eventually leading him to an empty coatroom. Once the door was shut behind them, the low murmur of the restaurant was cut off, leaving the duo in stony silence.

 

  
Sehun was unsure how to continue, and he was not completely certain that he knew what he had to say.

 

  
“…Why didn’t you tell anyone you were leaving?” Jongin asked. He was unexpectedly the one to break the silence and when Sehun glanced at him in surprise, his eyes seemed to really be asking, “ _Why didn’t you tell **me** you were leaving?”_

 

  
Clearing his throat, Sehun decided to speak the truth. “Luhan needed me.”

 

  
Something within Jongin dimmed faintly and it was the first time Sehun saw his mouth twist down into something sad and angry all at once. “Of course. It was presumptuous of me to think you were running from this.” With the last word, Jongin gestured between them with a wave of his hand, the sleeve of his shirt rustling with the movement.

 

  
Nonetheless, Sehun flinched slightly because Jongin had unknowingly hit the nail right on the head. It was no real justification for anything, but it was taking far too long for them to find a solution in Las Vegas, and the call had given Sehun the chance to leave it all behind. Subconsciously, Sehun had been running, and he hated himself for realizing that _now_ of all times.

 

  
“J-Jongin, I… I apologize for everything.” Sehun blurted out, thinking of all the trouble he had caused with a simple mistake. It made Sehun a despicable person, especially since he was the one to ruin someone as young and bright as Jongin, who had naive views on love, and with Sehun, he didn’t find much of what he expected.

 

  
The blonde sighed, but he didn’t look too surprised or appeased at the apology. “I know,” he said simply, crossing his arms before he met Sehun’s eyes again. “Is that the only reason you called me in here?”

 

  
That was one of the main reasons, but “ _Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here?”_ was something Sehun wanted to ask. Though he had no right to, especially not after abruptly leaving himself, and it wasn’t as if Jongin owed him any favors.

 

  
“Why Yifan?” Sehun finally asked.

 

  
Jongin ignored the question as his eyes bored into Sehun’s head on with an inner steel that made Sehun realize Jongin had his own will, his own right to make decisions. He was not quite an adult yet, but he was no child. “You should know, I came here to tell you that Chanyeol hyung is willing to divorce us.”

 

  
The mere mention of the red head had Sehun fighting off a scowl. Of course that man would find a way to meddle, he couldn’t just deal with the fact that Jongin was—

 

  
“And I wanted to return this,” Jongin absently looked at his left hand, but his bare ring finger had him sighing and digging into his pocket. Out came a velvet black box, and Sehun felt his heart drop when Jongin gestured for him to take it with a heavy frown on his lips and a furrow between his eyebrows. He looked resigned to this and though Sehun didn’t want to reach out for it, his hands moved of their own accord and he grasped the box, feeling as if it weighed more than a ton.

 

  
This is what his end goal was, but why did it feel as if he were doing something wrong by letting Jongin go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

**A/N:**

  
~~**Lol, I was listening to Sugar Sugar by Baby Bash when this was written, so please excuse Yifan’s cheesiness >.<** ~~

  
**This chapter has been long overdue… I have been feeling that the timing and overall structure of the story are off, and I’ve begun to hate this a little.**

  
**I’m caught between giving up and reading what I have, or just continuing? This is the longest running story I have...**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!
> 
> Just type away...〆(・∀・＠)


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